Dark Weavings
by The Golden Koi
Summary: Based on the Dark Series by Christine Feehan. Caelan's lifemate is a treasure to the Carpathians and may be the key to their victory in the battle against evil and ultimately extinction. Could she be as powerful a weapon as their enemy, the Dark Mage?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on the **Dark Series **by** Christine Feehan**. The two main characters and the main villain as well as the plotline are mine, but otherwise supporting characters and the overall plot is a part of her series.

A/N: Hi all! Enjoy! This one's a doozy!

_Chapter One_

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The rain beat down upon the windows in waves of cold, fingers creeping along the cracks of the house, yearning to gain entry. The storm clouds had rolled in unexpectedly, the local forecaster had explained, looking at their Doppler Radar with befuddlement. The news infiltrated the house as a hollow echo, drowned out by the roar of thunder overhead. Rachel turned a dry page in her book patiently, reading every word before letting her thumb push it aside. Strewn lazily over the leather cushions of her large plum couch, her hair spilling in splashes of blonde and red over her blue-rimmed glasses, she was perfectly content with her day off from work and welcomed the storm. They always calmed her and she slept more soundly when she felt the air change with a gale approaching.

The large house had always welcomed the furies of the skies with elegance. Framed in windows, the living room was Rachel's favorite lounging space during such evenings. It was easier to forget her work strewn about the coffee table, the counters, her bed, her car when the rain caressed her windows. When working on such a gruesome crime scene, the rain soothed her aching brain like a hot springs could sore muscles.

Her current investigation was becoming particularly nightmarish. Four victims had been identified and two remained unknown, all killed by a fiend the bureau was calling Jack after the Ripper from London. Nothing was left behind for them to examine at any of the five crime scenes she was working on. No prints, no scuffmarks, no hair or blood – in fact, _no_ blood was left. The victims were sucked dry, their throats ripped as if by monstrous claws. Even stranger was the killer's peculiar distaste of the womb. Each of the four women slaughtered had not only been drained of blood, their throats gutted, they had also been eviscerated, intestines and womb torn from their stomachs and shredded in rage.

Usually a gruesome crime scene didn't phase her composure, but these had made everyone sick. The killer didn't care where they were as long as they were alone, and the one time he had struck at a couple was in an alley in a demolition site. The team had a suspicion that the couple had been enjoying a private moment when Jack struck. The female victim in this case was the only one that hadn't been pregnant.

Rachel was lucky the storm came at such a troubling time.

A breeze flitted through her living room from the crack she'd left open in the sliding glass doors. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she said, "Come in, my friend. I don't mind a draft in my house." She reached with her toe over the couch and pulled the door open just an inch farther to let in more fresh air.

Realizing she had begun thinking about her work again, Rachel reread the page she was about to turn with a little sigh of exhasperation. Leaning her head back on the pillow, she listened to the rain for a few moments to relax her annoyance. Blowing a few choppy strands of hair from her face, she began reading once again.

As the news went into commercial, its trumpeted theme sounding with patriotic flare, something outside seemed to thump against the wall of the house. Rachel finished the paragraph she was reading and looked up from her book out the glass doors in front of her. The world beyond her back patio was pitch-black, caught in a tidal wave of Nature's rage. She listened closely to the trees being whipped by the rain and the banshee winds howling passed her home. Without much enthusiasm, Rachel lazily pushed herself off the couch and padded over to the backdoor window in thick striped socks to see what had fallen.

She pulled her sweater over her thin fingers and folded her arms across her chest as she opened the door and looked out into the backyard. The rain pelted her face and glasses as she looked about her with a thick blanket of unease settling over her stomach. She rubbed her elbows nervously and hugged herself tightly as the feeling spread through her body, the hair standing up on the nape of her neck. With wide, jumpy eyes Rachel ducked back into her home and locked the door. She stopped and grabbed a kitchen towel from the counter, took off her glasses, her eyes closed tightly while she regained her composure. She wiped her glasses clean and replaced them on the bridge of her nose with a determined breath. She lived in a big house by herself. It was natural to be creeped out sometimes. Still, no matter how hard she tried to shake the feeling, she knew that if she took off her glasses and gazed about her home, she'd find something disturbed.

Rachel reached for her overturned novel, placed carefully on the back of the couch in an attempt to casually shrug off the dread growing in the pit of her stomach when she noticed her sliding glass doors. She always kept them a crack open during the rain so she could listen to the sounds and smell the crisp air. Just a few inches to help her relax for the night. She never – _never_ – opened the screen door. She usually never even unlocked it, using the backdoor to get into the forest paths that shadowed the view of her backyard. Slowly, as quietly as she could manage, she crept close enough to see that the screen door hadn't been opened. It had been shredded to pieces.

Rachel's eyes strayed to the photographs littering her coffee table. Throats and stomachs ripped open, torn – shredded with claws. She could almost hear the terrible cries and screams that would have echoed through the crime scenes had the murdered not been robbed of their vocal chords before it was too late. She picked up one of the photographs and held it up to the window, comparing the gnarled flesh with her destroyed screen. Her eyes widened with terror as she realized just what danger lay in wait for her.

Rachel forced herself to calm down enough to look around her. Nothing else was out of place in the living room, not even a footprint plagued her thick, dark carpet. Her wide eyes scanned the whole first floor, which was basically one large space. A picture fluttered down from the balcony and landed on the couch next to her hand. With a startled jump, she snapped her head to look at the picture without picking it up. It was the most eerie picture in her whole case file. A red haired woman's mutilated face and neck. Nearly all of the woman's skin was crimson and glistening in the flash of the photograph save two puncture wounds on her neck which looked to have been licked clean. Rachel gulped looking at the photograph. Rumors had run amok in the lab about a vampire, but she had been determined to prove it was some sort of tazer or homemade nail gun that had made the wounds. Rachel's gaze drifted to the wide sightless eyes of the woman as they screamed out of the picture, warning and pleading for help. Those blank, terrified eyes looked straight at Rachel's with a gaze no dead woman should ever hold.

A creak in the floorboards of the third-story balcony made her almost jump out of her skin. The balcony railing was just above. If Jack really was above her and looked down into the living room, he'd see her immediately. She swallowed nervously, the lump in her throat making it exceedingly hard to breathe. With slow, deliberate steps she walked around the couch, keeping an eye on the top of the spiral stairs across the room. She pushed her waves of hair behind her ears and moved along one of the walls toward the guest room as quietly as she could manage. Her heart pounded in her ears, making it impossible for her to believe she was quiet. She felt like whatever stalked her could taste its rapid pace. She began to notice her heart's rhythm in her wrists, her neck, her chest, her ears… It was petrifying. Not allowing her body to succumb to fear, she ducked into the dark bedroom and ran to the closet panting softly as the laboring of her heart took a toll on her body. She felt light as a feather and out of control. Her hands shook horribly as she searched the coat closet for a weapon. She found a pair of scissors and a baseball bat. With the experience Jack seemed to have with sharper means of killing, Rachel chose the bat to hold in her hands, stuffed the scissors in her back pocket and left the closet reluctantly after a few deep breaths. She had to get to her cell phone charging in her bedroom. She lived in the middle of the woods with no close neighbors. Somehow, she knew that if she left the house, he'd get her. Jack had yet to kill in a house.

Rounding the corner of the guest bedroom, Rachel peered cautiously into the living room. Thunder clapped loudly above the house and the larger windows rattled softly as the roar permeated the foundations. She clutched her bat with white-knuckled fists and held it close to her body but above her shoulder, ready to strike. She felt a bead of sweat fall down her temple and wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her sweater hurriedly before clutching the bat once again.Dismissing the living room, she inched her way to the spiral stairs to her right. They lead to the library of the third floor, right in front of her bedroom door. Avoiding the creaks and groans she knew intimately in the staircase, Rachel made her way stair by stair to the third floor landing. Evil seeped from every poor of the library and she constantly thought that something was breathing down her neck, pouring down her body like thick, black oil. The sound of her heart beating became painful to her ears. She almost wished it would cease its persistent thrashing. It felt as if the strength of the beat would crack her ribs and push them from her skin.

Shuffling across the floor, avoiding the weakest points in the floorboards, Rachel wrapped her fingers around her doorknob and opened it silently, grateful that the door didn't whine in protest. She peeked her head around the corner of her door and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, tiptoed into the master bedroom. She let her grip on the bat loosen as she grabbed the phone from her rounded pappasan chair. As she straightened, she felt the breath on her neck again, too real this time. She spun and fell away, ripping the chord of her cell phone charger from the wall and landing hard on the floor.

"I like how you've been studying me. Obsessive," the intruder hissed, filling the doorway with his looming, depraved bulk. Rachel couldn't take her eyes off his mouth. His grin was filled with stained, bloodied knife-like fangs. He held his 'S's with a pleasurable sizzle and cackled like a jackal as she backed away from him, her bat still hanging in her hand. As he came closer, the light from her scattered desk spilled over his person. Jack was a hideous man, yellowing, pale and sickly with taut skin stretched over his face and hands. He drooled a little blood with a wretched grin and grated his talon-like nails against the doorframe. A sharp pain in Rachel's backside reminded her of the scissors in her back pocket. She dropped her phone with a clatter and reached for the scissors cutting through her jeans.

"At least I don't look like a bleached out football," she said softly, fear and anger driving her clenched voice from her throat. With this, Jack began once again to laugh uproariously, taking a step. Two steps.

While Jack's face was upturned with maddened joy, she threw the scissors with all the force she could, adrenaline guiding her throw. By sheer luck, they embedded themselves in his abdomen. Jack's voice changed little from his laughter to his howl of unexpected pain, but his face became a grotesque mask of rage, his eyes settled like red embers on Rachel's apprehensive features. With a snarl, he withdrew the scissors and snapped his jaw together audibly before pulling his hand back for a return throw.

Rachel's eyes widened and she scrambled for the door that led to the staircase to the second floor. She pulled herself around the doorway and slid on the wooden floor with her socks. The storm outside began to rage with incredible strength, unrelenting. As thunder and lightning flashed through the house, rumbling the earth and windows, Rachel felt the rain suffocate her, the fresh air tease the strength from her. Turning at the landing and continuing towards the kitchen and living room on the first floor, Rachel felt something sink keep into her back, below her shoulder. The thud as the scissors buried themselves to the hilt into her ribcage knocked Rachel off her feet. She reached forward with her hand, pulling at the carpet with her trembling hands. As she was getting to her knees, she felt a heavy boot push her back down to the floor and the point of the scissors push deeper into her body with a sickening splurge. She could feel the life seeping from her, could feel herself choking from within her lungs, coughing up blood. The world was becoming hazy. With a maniacal laugh, Jack lifted Rachel's head by a handful of hair and waited only a moment before smashing it against the wall of her cabinets. The wood splintered under the pressure and she could feel the pots and pans scatter at impact. Her glasses snapped in half and fell to the carpet, useless. Jack dropped her head and listened to her gurgle and moan, watched the blood seep from her precious little mouth.

"I'm going to enjoy sucking you dry. You _stink_ of them, but your blood smells spicy," he said with obvious excitement. He ran his tongue over his crooked, gruesome incisors and a shiver of anticipation ran down his spine. The kill was so superb, and she was going to be the treat of the century.

Rachel looked up from the carpet, his voice drowned from her ears. The world was black, like it always was without her glasses. They pulsed next to her, broken in half but still retaining their magic. The weavings of a large, intimidating spell hung glittering in the air above her, sparkling in her starkly dark world. Rachel could feel them. Smell them. Taste them. Reaching a hand toward them, she felt her eyes become dangerous, her fingers reaching for the strands of energy clinging to the air, blowing lightly in the breeze. With some difficulty, she pulled herself up another inch from the carpet, wincing as the scissors in her back cut a deeper whole in her lung.

"What are you doing, you little bitch?" Jack said with obvious irritation. He grabbed her head by the neck pulling her up closer to him. She grinned, her unseeing eyes looking right through him as he lowered his head to her neck.

"Killing you," she whispered. His teeth began to pull at her skin when she clasped the strand of weaving above his head. The change in the atmosphere was drastic, the surge of power right before an explosion, rippling through the air. Jack snapped his head up, and dropped Rachel's aggressively. She rolled on her side and saw the impression of the killer's head as it hit the net of magic above them. With one swift motion, she pulled the strands of power around his neck and tightened them. The strain of his body against the magic was immense. She pulled with all her force, crying, gasping, trembling, the magic cutting through her fingers and palms, making her bleed down her arms and across her chest.

"_Dradhti nahm ongoriyem_," she said as she reached up with the last of her strength and pulled one more strand into her fingers. Acid seeped from Jack's neck as he howled, caught in the net of magic and thick pools of the substance fell to Rachel, eating away her clothes, burning her flesh. Jack clawed at the magic, but was unable to touch it, to pull it away. He fell to his knees and began to rip at Rachel's arms and chest, spittle and blood oozing over the walls, her face, the carpet. She snarled at him without seeing him and expertly tied the second strand into a knot, slamming it into the ground. Slowly, the magic began to retreat into the carpet, pulling tighter on Jack's throat. Rachel, unable to do anything else, began to crawl away from Jack as his face was pressed against the floor. She heard the bones crack in his neck as the magic continued to constrict and pull. His voice was reduced to a gurgle by the time Rachel reached the backdoor. She reached forward for the handle, but found it opened and unlocked. She collapsed in a heap on the floor, her flesh burning, her life ending. The world became still around her, her heart fading slowly. The persistent pounding had nearly stopped and she suddenly regretted wishing that it would cease all those moments ago.

Rachel's black world glittered with the magic she wove. She reached out peacefully to a strand and played with it in her fingers, the pain having receded as death came creeping in. As she let her hand fall back to the carpet, she felt a leather shoe beneath her fingers instead of the thick thread of her floor. It shifted and she felt something calming and powerful look into her eyes. A strong hand brushed against her jaw and she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her laboring heart and lungs seemed to find a steady beat on their own even as she felt her little remaining strength disappear.

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A/N: Let me know what you think! Koi 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I haven't gotten any reviews yet which is a bit disappointing since this is one of my favorite novel-length fanfictions I've written. So please review if you'd gotten a chance to read it!

P.S. It's a vampire-ish romance novel based on a very large series by Christine Feehan, so don't be surprised if you don't understand some things right away. It should explain itself as the story moves along! But if you have questions, let me know in a review and I'll make sure to reply to you!_  
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_Chapter Two_

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Caelan looked at the young woman's face with sheer terror. Vibrant reds soaked her body and the carpet around her. His life had been returned to him, his soul, his heart all to find this. His savior's crumpled body in a heap on the floor. His angel fallen. Tracking the vampire had been his prerogative that night. If he had been faster in getting to his prey, he would have been able to save her. It truly pained him that her reaching for the door, trembling, crying was what brought back the color in his eyes. The first feeling he knew after centuries had been a heart wrenching, twisting fear. Closing his eyes a moment, Caelan looked away from the sight and picked up the responsibility of her heart and lungs, forcing them to work, to keep her soul intact. 

_Dark One. I will need you this night. My…lifemate has been mortally injured. She will not make the next rising without your talents. _His voice echoed over the common Carpathian channel with a tremble. He stood and listened absently as others of his race held back their shock. They thought she would never come to him…

_I will come. The other healers accompany me. _The response was simple and strong. Caelan held on to it for a moment, letting it echo through his mind. Setting his jaw firmly, he strode to the convulsing body of the vampire. It reached frantically for its head, attempting to replace it on its shoulders, but found that it couldn't, the magic that cut it having been far too strong to combat. Massive holes had been burned into the carpets and walls, the acid hissing as it infiltrating the house, permanently scarring it with evil. Caelan felt rage, _real_ rage fill his chest with heat and he growled vehemently. Grabbing the head from between the vampire's fingers, the hunter threw the it out into the fury of the storm and turned back as a streak of lightning bore down on the orb. He grabbed the twitching arm as the neck began to heal itself and dragged the spasming body out into the yard. With a plunge of his hand, Caelan retrieved the blackened, decaying heart and threw it to the ground. The vampire's body raked at his arms as he held it at bay. Lightning brought a quick end to the grizzly corpse and all its extremities. The rain became a heavy drizzle, washing away the remnants of the kill, the stench.

Without so much as a pause, Caelan returned to the doorway of the home and looked forlornly at the creature thrown before him, unconscious and barely alive. Her breath came ragged, blood spilled from her mouth in a steady flow. Caelan grew nervous and paced in the kitchen. Two wolves watched from the backyard and howled with his distress.

_Tell us the damage, Caelan. _Shea's voice rang out in his head. She had been a medical doctor in the human world before becoming a Carpathian lifemate. He looked carefully at the angel, sharing the images.

_There's a pair of scissors in her back._ Shea said, surprised that she still breathed. _It seems to be lodged in her lung. Is she bleeding from the mouth? Gurgling?_ Caelan mentally nodded. He could feel the tension and anxiety rise along the channel.

_Heal what wounds you can. We will be there shortly. We fly with the wind._ Gregori, the Dark One said quietly, commandingly. Caelan knelt beside his charge and instantly melted into light, seepings into her body's wounds. He closed the cuts and scrapes she had within moments and drove the poison of Vampire blood from her body before sealing the most serious burns. Several cuts marred her face and he dealt with those as well, but soon began to feel light headed. He could distantly feel his brow covered in blood from concentration but stayed with the task. Before he left her body, Caelan examined the scissor wound. It was monstrous, her muscle tissue shredded, bone scraped. Had it merely been thrown into her back, the cut would have been much cleaner, but since she had struggled and fought against the Vampire, the scissors had been dragged and pulled about the wound, making it wider and more dangerous. Following the blades to their point, he saw where the real damage lay. One lung had been punctured deeply and blood filled the organ like a sponge under a running faucet. This wound he could not begin to heal as tired as he was. Reluctantly he left her body and continued to regulate her breathing and heart rate, which was plummeting despite his efforts.

With steady eyes and a set jaw, Caelan sliced a deep cut through his wrist and held it to his charge's mouth. Sending her a compulsion to drink, Rachel's lips closed softly over the proffered wrist and suckled lightly. Caelan's body shivered and tightened in response. He pulled away his wrist and she whimpered lightly for a moment, her eyes fluttering with pain. Caelan rubbed a thumb over her cheek, gently moving her aside for him. With a gentle swirl of his tongue, the hunter pierced Rachel's neck with sharp, pearly incisors. Taking as little as possible, he savored what little drink he could afford to take. Gently, he closed the wound and sat back on his heels, licking his lips. His body shuddered as the warmth and magic began to run through his veins. He could feel their private channel begin to open in her mind and ran his tongue over his fangs absently, trying to taste every drop of her he was teased with. He could feel the burden of her heart and lungs on his conscience lift a little as the Ancient blood began to flow through her veins. It was the only thing Caelan had left to give her until more experienced healers arrived on the scene.

A cold, slight breeze pulled through the door and Caelan opened his eyes, looking up at the healers who had come to his aid. He bowed his head dutifully at Gregori who filled the entryway. Francesca and Shea, the other two rather gifted healers of their race flanked the man with grave concerned etched on their faces.

"That was much faster than I expected," Caelan confessed. His eyes were the only thing that gave away his distress and exhaustion. Gregori regarded him silently.

"Find yourself some nourishment. We'll take care of your woman, old friend," Gregori said calmly. He was already inspecting the crumpled form on the ground. Francesca smiled soothingly at Caelan and Shea moved in to remove the scissors with doctoral experience, instructing Francesca to get her certain things from the drawers in the kitchen. Caelan left the desolate home with a strange, screaming numbness filling his mind. He heard the healing chant begin along the Carpathian channel and lent his voice to the healers' efforts. Caelan shifted into a wolf mid-stride and ran with his pack across the forests to find the next home where nourishment lay in soft, warm beds.

Caelan returned to the abode with full strength and high hopes. The regulation of his angel's vital system had become easier with every passing minute as the healers worked on her wounds. Her heart no longer needed help, but the sun was soon to rise and all the healers felt it in their bones as lethargy began to haunt their complexions.

"She'll be fine, I'm proud to say," Shea said wearily. She stood at the sink, cleaning the utensils she'd used to remove the scissors and stop the bleeding.

"Is it safe to move her?" Caelan asked quietly. Gregori nodded. Caelan held out his wrist to the healer and allowed the man to feed freely from his veins, having been more than replenished in the neighboring homes. The women refused politely, still made a bit queasy at the idea of feeding from any but their lifemates.

"I owe you a great deal, my friends," Caelan said, gazing lovingly at the woman lying before him.

"She's still wholly human, Caelan. Just don't try to pack her wounds with soil," Shea said with a tired smirk. She pushed her red hair from her face and followed the others from the house. As she reached for the doorknob to shut it behind her, she turned back to Caelan. "Her lung needs to be drained of blood and her skin washed."

"Don't worry, young one. She'll be taken good care of," he said as he brushed a wave of blonde from Rachel's face. Shea nodded and shut the door behind her.

As the others left, Caelan gently touched Rachel's mind with his and helped her cough up what blood was left in her lung. Her eyes shot open with the pain and she wretched violently on her doorstep as the pain of her body pulled the blood from her throat and lung. She immediately fell unconscious to the floor once again and Caelan slowly, cautiously left her to the task of breathing unaided. Her body picked up its vital functions with a regular pace once again, simply raw and sore now. Caelan visibly relaxed and pulled his angel into his arms, easily lifting her into his chest and embrace. Her warm breath falling gently on his neck and cloak made his heart swell with joy. Before leaving the wretched site, Caelan made sure to replace the burned carpet and walls with a wave of his hand and pushed away her physical illness.

Silently, he carried her up the stairs to the large bedroom that was hers and laid her gently upon the deep blue, feather down comforter. A wet towel appeared in his hand and he began to caress her face and neck, rubbing away the blood that stained her features. It would have been easy to will the evidence away from her skin, but Caelan enjoyed the intimacy of physically washing away the remnants of the night. He willed away her burned, ruined clothing and washed her stomach, hips and thighs gently. Her skin was creamy and pale, bright in the dim light of the room. The hunter longed to touch her skin and feel the shiver of anticipation run up his spine. With gentle fingers, he traced her side but pulled away to restrain the erotic images that were invading his mind. Replacing her stark nakedness with a black silk nightdress, Caelan shut the windows and doors, feeling dawn stalk the minutes as they came and went. He pulled his own thick, black drapes over the windows and settled in a chair to watch his angel sleep, and to sleep himself. Even as he was drifting away from consciousness, he wove safeguards around the grounds and bedroom, making sure every precaution was made. Dawn crept up on the lonesome home, and birds chirped cheerfully in the young rays, as if they knew all was well and right again.

* * *

_A strong grip held her arm in place as she whimpered to escape. Unable to see the boy who assaulted her, she screamed into a palm that pressed down on her mouth. Two boys were giggling around her, and she could feel their eyes moving over her, lapping her up with sick fantasies. The hallways were deserted since school was just let out for the year. Most of the teachers were gone already too. Rachel had stayed behind to gather things from her locker so she could do it comfortably, without other kids looking at her. They'd grown up together, yet they still couldn't get over her being blind. Ninth grade, and they still couldn't help but stare. _

"_Stop squirmin'! She can't tell who you are. We don't have any classes with her or nuthin," one of the boys said. She felt him spit on her cheek and laugh dumbly with his friend. The lashes of her eyes were weighed down with tears that fell in a steady stream down her face. She screamed against the palm smashed against her lips, a clenched fist punched her in the face hard and she fell to the ground. One of them was on top of her before she knew what was happening. She felt dizzy, warm droplets of blood falling from her nose. A hand crushed her mouth again and she began to tremble and pull at the cool tiles that simply slipped from her fingers as she tried to crawl away from the boys. _

_A strong, anxious hand pulled down the back of her sweat pants she neglected to change out of after gym class and another tangled itself in her ponytail, holding her head up high so she could barely breathe. The one holding her hair struggled with something and forced her jaw open, holding it firmly. Rachel felt something fill her mouth, choking her violently. Grimy, oily fingers ripped at her underwear and she heard jeans unzipping. Raising her hands to claw that the ones holding her mouth and neck only hurt more as one of the boys rushed his hips into hers. Tears streamed down her face as she meekly called for help, the boys' voices echoing in her skull._

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Caelan's eyes fluttered open and he peered about the room, searching for disturbances near the home and in it. All seemed peaceful and still in the night. He heard a wolf cry out for the pack and another answer the call. A small smile tugged at his face as he thought about the strength of the pack. His thoughts faded peacefully as he stood and crossed the room to his lifemate's side. Her eyes were tightly shut and her fists clenched the sheets. Immediately, worry crossed Caelan's face as he knelt down beside her. He searched her mind and found the images that daunted her and he bared his teeth.

"What has happened to you, my angel?" he asked gently, sadly. He laid his mind like a fog over hers and pulled the images and memories away from her thoughts, leaving a peaceful dark for her to rest in. The laughter of men, many men young and old echoed through his head as he saw her memories, felt her fear. He could feel her heartbeat and breath in those moments of pain, emphasized by her black world. "Rachel," he soothed her softly, his voice like silk. He caressed her jaw, anger and protectiveness swelling in him. Why hadn't he been able to find her sooner? To help her sooner? He should have been searching for her. He should have devoted his life to her as soon as he felt her presence in the world. As emotionless as he was, he hadn't understood what was happening. Thousands of years had past since he'd felt any semblance of emotion and even when he heard her cries in his mind, a breeze barely noticed, he felt nothing at all. It was the sight of her that had awakened him after so many long, dark centuries. Caelan's gaze settled on her neck, the pulse slow and faint bumped against her skin. He licked his lips and looked away. He'd had enough to last him a few days more without feeding, but her blood called to him like a siren to a sailor.

Caelan left the bedroom and paced the hall. He leant heavily on the railing of the first floor staircase and looked absently down the stairwell. Glasses lay broken in two upon the carpet near the stairs. Glasses. Could she see after all? Caelan glided smoothly to the carpet and looked curiously at the blue and black frames. With a thought he repaired them and felt magic vibrate in the lenses. They glinted peculiarly in the light of the hallway. Caelan returned to the bedroom, shut the door quietly and sat down in the velvet cushioned, antique chair he had slept in the night before. He turned the glasses in his hands trying to decipher what had been done to them, but could not find a pattern in the magic woven that could be unwound. Whoever made this weave was a true master.

Caelan was drawn to Rachel's eyes as they opened and he stilled himself calmly, predatorily. She didn't seem frightened or confused, but the hunter could feel her pulse push harder through her veins. Her thumb rubbed the comforter absently and Caelan felt her accept that it was her own bedroom. He couldn't help but let a small smile soften his lips as he watched her. Her eyes took his breath away. They were large and round and beautifully lashed, her eyebrows the perfect shape to frame them. The lightest ice blue hue he had ever seen glistened in the dim light, almost glowing with brightness. They were sharp and crystal-like, but unseeing of normal things. He could tell she could see other things, though. She could see magic.

Rachel's hands ran softly over the comforter, trying to find her glasses. Her lips parted as she searched in vain over the comforter, the nightstand, her pillow and even the floor where they may have slid away from her. She knew that the events of the night before would be real if she couldn't find her glasses. They would be broken apart in the kitchen, she found herself remembering. The thought dampened her spirits drastically. Those glasses had let her lead a more normal life. They had taken almost two years to make. Her eyes scanned the room blindly steady as she caught a wild fragrance drift across the air.

A presence was in the room, she could tell. It was calming, gentle but a powerfully dangerous presence. Reaching out to the one thing she could see, a safeguard woven just above her pillow, Rachel pulled a strand of magic from its pattern. The semblance wavered and rippled in the air as Rachel turned from it and began to work a new pattern with the strand. It seemed never to be too short or too long for her purpose, but exactly what she needed it to be. Her fingers worked expertly like a child who played Jacob's Ladder. She wound the strand around her fingers, tying knots and new patterns like a makeshift dream catcher. Pushing the new spell into the air, she held onto it for a moment by the end of the strand that hung from the middle of the pattern. She tugged lightly at it to make sure it was tight and high in the room, slowly revolving and glistening above her head. With a little teasing pull, she let the magic rebound into the pattern, spreading the weaving across the room, filling the edges, nooks and crannies. The pattern began to settle over the room. Rachel was left staring at the impression of a man in her weave, sitting in the chair near the foot of her bed. She could see the glint of her glasses react to the magic that fell over his hands.

"I can see you," she said with a flirting smile accenting the curve of her lips. Caelan shuddered. She was almost teasing him. The first words he ever heard her say, and she chose to tease him. "I'd like my glasses back now." Rachel extended her hand steadily and Caelan glided silently to her side, allowing the glasses to roll from his fingertips to hers, a brush of his knuckles against her palm made a cyclone of butterflies beat their wings within her stomach for a fleeting moment. She quickly replaced her glasses on her face and looked up at Caelan with seeing eyes, lips parted in silent surprise.

His cool skin and jet-black hair gave stark comparison to golden amber eyes that shifted like an animal's in the night as he watched her features change with thought. His hair was cut at a crisp length, spiked in a wind-whipped fashion. He seemed to sport no imperfections, only his ears slightly pointed, elvish with a small feather earring falling from one lobe. He smiled softly at her, a flash of white filling the void of his mouth with a wolfish grin that fit the rest of his demeanor all too well. Rachel licked her lips and felt her heart thump just a little too fast as she blushed a bright rosy pink. Those amber eyes could capture and tame the wildest beast, the eyes of an animal in men's skin and she felt the power radiating from his body like waves of heat.

"You should rest, my angel," Caelan said warmly. Her eyes had become a mossy green with her glasses to frame them. Caelan was enraptured by her face as she took in his. Sleep moved soothingly into her eyes and she immediately began to lower her lashes, fluttering them like a monarch's wings in a gentle breeze. A gentle hand helped ease her into the pillows once again. She watched those eyes as he spoke soothing words to her and never once did they blink. She felt him remove her glasses and set them next to her on the pillow, faintly felt his hands brush away the locks of hair that fell messily about her shoulders. The world became dark and still as she drifted away to dream about those eyes, amber and delicious in the dim of her bedroom.

* * *

A/N: Remember, if you have questions or are confused, let me know in a review and I'll reply an answer for you! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's the next chapter! The reason it's so long is because it's written in novel form... so most chapters are roughly fifteen novel pages (8 full)... I had to break it up a little...Ahaha! Enjoy Koi

P.S. The breaks are in the chapter to show where a good stopping place would be if you have other things that might interrupt you.

_Chapter Three_

* * *

Rachel's eyes opened in one swift blink. Her bedroom was dark, glittering peacefully with safeguards she had never seen or remembered weaving. It was then that she remembered the beautiful stranger who had been leaning over her as she fell into the deepest, most soothing sleep she'd ever experienced. Feeling for her glasses on the comforter, Rachel found them mere inches from her fingertips and adjusted them on her ears with a shy gesture. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments, savoring the adrenaline she felt pumping through her veins. She wondered if he would still be there, watching her like he had been. The image of his eyes flashed through her mind and she felt her stomach twist. 

Her mind stirred, as if something new had made its home in her. Apprehensive, she felt its presence settle almost as if drowsy. Unlike the invasion of a harmful specter, this manifestation was soft and welcoming. The few times Rachel had felt evil push against the barriers of her mind, it felt weighed down, powerful, and itching like insects crawling over her skin. This however, reminded her of an affectionate animal. She smiled softly, caressing the creature with her thoughts, happy to have a companion. She could feel the presence stretch and purr. She giggled.

Caelan watched her intently, sitting like a statue in his favorite chair. Rachel's subtle breath spilling over her lips sent Caelan into a frenzy of emotion. He had dwelt within her mind for many hours now, guarding her dreams from the nightmares of her past. She smiled, caressing his presence within her soul. She hadn't realized it was him, and her thoughts were so soft and innocent, betraying her affection for him despite thinking he was only a dream. The hunter felt heat stir in his core and a warm smile parted his lips slowly. He purred to her in her mind, rubbing against her awareness affectionately. Her face brightened with his keening and she giggled, biting her lip. Though she wore her glasses, her eyes remained closed as if she feared to open them and find him gone. Her honest, gentle thoughts tugged at Caelan's heart and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"That's you, isn't it?" Rachel asked quietly, her smile broadening. She inclined her head towards the chair, face tilted in curiosity, waiting for his voice to ring through the silence.

"Yes," Caelan said calmly. He watched her eyes flutter open and truly look into his, as if she saw more than his calm façade and stony expression. Rachel nodded with a girlish smile and rubbed her hand over her throat absently where Caelan had made his first mark on her. A twinge of excitement surged through his system as she subconsciously recognized his presence there beneath her skin.

"How do you fair?" He asked the question casually as he rose from the chair and crossed the room to the curtains. He pulled them down without a sound and turned to look at her once more.

"I fair well, thank you," Rachel replied, a laugh on her lips. Caelan felt some part of her drift away from the surface of her mind to reveal a dark fear in her thoughts he had failed to notice moments before. She was remembering the events of the night before up until the vampire's death and as she remembered more, her thoughts became more hysterical and untrusting. Though she still looked at Caelan with a warm smile, the expression faded from her eyes as they spilled over his frame and he forced himself to look away.

"Though now that I'm awake, I do have to ask…" Rachel pulled her glasses off again, the smile fading from her face completely and she looked straight in Caelan's eyes, seeing beyond them. He felt her push forcefully against his barriers and nearly broke them, catching him completely unaware. "…how you got into my house."

The question hung in the air for a moment before Caelan approached the bed and sat down next to her. Rachel heart rate was much faster than only moments before as she felt his weight settle upon the sheets. He could see her fingers tying knots in themselves as she stared at him, her eyes steady and unblinking. The bubbly atmosphere of her mind had spilled away, replaced with a resolute determination and dread. Caelan could almost hear her body thud like dead weight as she accepted the fact that he may be there to hurt her. He felt her uneasiness set in as she delved deeper into his orbs, seeing the hunter beneath his skin. Rachel mind fell away from his with a quick pain of fear that barely touched her features and Caelan couldn't help but admire her unfaltering demeanor.

"You were wounded by a creature I was hunting," Caelan explained without inflection of tone. He attempted to sooth her with his words, looking deep into her eyes, but found that despite the compulsion in his voice, she had blocked it out completely. He licked his bottom lip in slight frustration. Caelan wasn't used to being incapable of influencing whomever he wished. He found the emotion displeasing and pushed it aside.

"Jack," Rachel stated.

"Yes. Jack."

There was a pause he felt in her mind, unsure whether or not to trust him. A flutter of nightmarish scenes, men's voices promising her returned home unharmed, ghostly brushes of memory across her back, neck and arms taunted Rachel quietly from the back of her mind as she tried to concentrate. Caelan would have tried to calm her if he was able to, but she seemed impervious to his attempts thus far. Rachel turned her head down to her fingers and continued to wring her hands together nervously.

"He's dead. I killed him. And whether or not I was hurt doesn't explain you watching me sleep. Why are you still here?" she asked distractedly, watching her fingers. Caelan faltered a moment. What should he say?

"I sent for healers and they tended to your wounds. I've been guarding you," he said quietly, extending a palm to her jaw, "You were nearly dead when I found yo –."

"Don't touch me," Rachel said quietly, lifting his hand gently away from her skin. He felt a little triumph in her mind as he pulled away respectfully but still the break in their touch sent a shiver of pain through Caelan's heart. As he dwelt on her sad features, he felt his wrist tingle where she had wrapped her delicate fingers around his hand. Looking down at his wrist, the hunter saw a faint glint of magic spun intricately around his arm. A sudden pressure in his mind told him she was within his memories, having gained entry through her subtle magic. With a speed extraordinary to him, she accessed the information of the nights before. Caelan submitted himself to her search fully, allowing her to see anything she wished to see, feel anything she wished to feel. Rachel put her hand over her neck, her lips parted in silent surprise, eyes wide. She knew they'd exchanged blood. With the image looming in her mind, she cut off their connection with brutal speed, ignoring the rapid heat that engulfed her body, making her want to touch his skin and have her body remember the feel of his lips on her neck.

"I don't understand," she said softly, trembling as she read his thoughts. Caelan looked upon her wavering form with sadness. She was afraid of him now, shrinking away from his presence coiled in her mind.

"I'm here only to protect you and your happiness, Rachel," he replied quietly. With the softest touch he could manage, Caelan lifted a tear from her cheek and let it fall upon his lips, tasting her guiltily. Deep within his soul, he could feel the raging need to have Rachel fully. Mind, body and spirit. His body grew hot under his thick cloak and willed it away from him. The urge to kiss her was so strong, Caelan diverted the hand that stretched forward to capture her jaw by grasping her glasses gently. Her eyes never left his, never blinked as he replaced her frames gently on her nose.

Rachel felt the world turn over as the hunter's sad, wild eyes poured into her soul with gentle honesty and guilty need. She blinked once, shook her head. Blinked twice.

"I don't even know your name," she said attempting to get out from under the covers. They seemed to be trapping her, caging her in. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and she looked away hastily, hiding behind a wall of wild red and gold. Stumbling out from under the covers, nearly toppling over on the floor, she straightened herself out looking with some confusion at the silk nightgown she was wearing. "How did – I don't own a –," Rachel mumbled, running a shaky hand through her hair. Caelan fought back a laugh as she continued to reason with herself, stumbling towards the bathroom and holding down the back of her black slip. His eyes followed her swaying hips with a hungry gaze. Her bare skin slid beneath the fabric like sheets tangled around lovers. Caelan felt a possessive growl rumble softly in his throat and immediately choked the sound, closing his eyes to gain control of himself. Rachel rounded the corner and pranced out of sight. A moment later, after he heard something fall and his charge curse softly, the door slammed and locked.

Caelan felt a surge of joy erupt from his mouth in a laugh that surprised him. His smile broadened as he thought about the miracle he had been granted after centuries of mindless existence. He sank back into the pillows and enjoyed the softness surrounding him. Rachel's scent was a tender whisper, but filled with a caring strength. Caelan's ear twitched as he listened to his lifemate hum softly to herself something about a sweet surrender. As he settled softly in her mind, he could feel her dancing under the showerhead, hopelessly trying to forget the pain she had felt and the nightmare she had experienced only two nights before. Her mind kept reverting to the tingling sensation on her neck and Caelan's eyes, gentle but wild. The hunter grinned to himself, glad to see that he was in her thoughts despite her earlier unease.

* * *

_Caelan, old friend. Are the rumors true?_ Mikhail Dubrinsky's voice rang strong and clear in Caelan's head. His smile broadened. Although Mikhail was the Prince of their people, the harbinger of the Carpathians, he was a close and dear friend to the hunter. 

_It is. I have found my lifemate, Mikhail_, Caelan channeled back with barely restrained joy. He felt Mikhail grin with relief.

_We thought the day would never come. You've waited so long for her_.

Caelan's smile faded, looking back on the years. He had been so close to turning. In fact, this was to be his last hunt before he faced the dawn. Over two thousand years hunting Vampires had made Caelan a swift and merciless huntsman. No more than a night before stumbling upon his angel did he nearly take an innocent life during feeding. The urge had been so strong it nearly crippled him and now looking back, a great burden of guilt hung around his shoulders. Only the voice and fond memories of his brother Dominic had kept him from evil that night.

_She killed a vampire. _There was silence on their private channel for several moments. Caelan awaited the response of his Prince with apprehension.

_Did she seek out the vampire?_

_No…_ Caelan hesitated. _The vampire was in her home. It had been hunting her._

Another long pause ensued much to Caelan's dismay. With a heavy heart, he caressed her mind gently. She was too distracted by her own thoughts to notice consciously, but he felt her calm down greatly. He stared at the entrance to the bathroom for a long moment before standing and silently making his way to the door. He listened to the water cascade around Rachel's body, her humming drifting to his ears like the tinkling bells. Willing into a faint mist, Caelan entered under the door of the bathroom and materialized again on the other side of Rachel's burgundy shower curtain. He inclined his ear towards the shower imagining the sight of her skin washed with sparkling water, soapsuds spilling down her shoulders and breasts. The thought not only excited his body, but caught his heart on fire with a sudden, powerful adoration. She was so small and innocent and sweet, the true light to Caelan's darkness.

_Tell me what you can about this vampire. _

Caelan closed his eyes and listened to the falling water as he thought, _I have very little information on him. I was more concerned with my lifemate's wounds when I destroyed him. By the time I arrived he was rather impaired and unable to speak. _

_What do you mean?_

_She decapitated him._

_What?!_

Caelan laughed in his mind at the shock in Mikhail's voice._ She beheaded the vampire. _Caelan's head whipped up as something fell within the confines of the shower. Rachel squeaked in surprise and he heard her jump away.

"Stupid facewash," she mumbled under her breath.

_When she's ready, speak to her about this vampire and how she wounded it so badly.. She's much stronger than I was given the impression of,_ Mikhail's voice trailed off thoughtfully.

_Well, she's blind, _Caelan began, unsure of how to describe her rather unique talents. Mikhail coughed.

_Blind? And she – decapitated a vampire?_ The Prince sounded skeptical. Caelan laughed again.

_She has a pair of glasses that allow her to see. She made them herself. I'm not sure what she sees, but she sees something. Magic, I would think. She's very skilled with magic, Mikhail. _

_I see. You must bring her to us. She sounds as if she may be a major asset to thwarting the Dark Mage's attempts on our race. _

Caelan gave the mental impression of a dutiful nod. _I will of course bring her to you. I would like, if you permit it, to have some time to adjust. I've not even begun the second part of her conversion._

_Of course, friend. Good luck to you both, warrior. _

Caelan felt their connection slip away as Mikhail left him to his thoughts. As rosy fragrances wafted over the shower curtain, the hunter lost himself in his thoughts, day dreaming about a shower together with his lifemate.

_And Caelan?_ Mikhail's voice piped up once again, a little frustrated. Caelan's eyes shot open and he hastily shoved his fantasies aside, aware that Mikhail had used the Carpathian common path. He felt amusement from many minds as Mikhail coughed awkwardly.

_Yes, friend? _

_Raven would like me to ask her name. _

_Rachel._ The name lingered in his mind, filling his thoughts. Caelan had the impression of many faces smiling and nodding with relief on the Carpathian common path. It was understandable why the absence of a lifemate for the hunter had been so distressing to the Carpathian people. Caelan was one of the four oldest living Carpathian men. Gregori and Caelan's brother Dominic were the other three oldest with Mikhail mere months behind. Gregori was oldest by four years, but Dominic was almost a full century younger than Caelan. Many Carpathian males centuries younger than they had turned to evil without their lifemates to anchor them to the light. Gregori already had a lifemate, Mikhail's daughter Savannah. Dominic was becoming worrisome, but still far from the edge of darkness. Caelan had lasted the longest without a lifemate of any Carpathian male to date and the wait had been excruciating, though had brought the immortal a miracle beyond his imagination. She had pulled him from the drowning darkness of the hunter's life. Even the simple act of taking a shower impacted Caelan like a wild burst of energy. The water falling around her limbs, the soothing crystalline sound of droplets hitting the porcelain tub basin made his heart melt despite the years of expressionless killing and justice.

At least, the sound _had_ melted his core. Too late did Caelan notice the sounds of falling water had ceased. Rachel pulled the curtain open with an unconcerned gesture. Caelan was ready to hear her scream and pull at the shower curtain when he realized she still didn't notice his presence in the room. Her glasses lay on a hand towel near the sink he noted with a sideways glance. The hunter watched her reach for a towel on the opposite wall of the bathroom and moved out of the way swiftly, silently as she nearly brushed a hand across his chest. Her supple curves were firm and feminine muscles flowed elegantly beneath her skin. The hunter grinned boyishly, watching his lifemate's movements from head to toe without guilt, knowing that it was improper.

Caelan could feel the exhaustion settling into Rachel's mind as she thought more and more about the events preceding her shower, trying to untangle what information she had been given. Her mind was so preoccupied that her foot didn't quite clear the tub as she stepped out onto the bathmat and with a small shriek she fell forward into what she thought would be bone cracking tile. Rachel's scream was cut short by a firm, strong grip and a warm, solid chest. The shock of the collision rendered her momentarily paralyzed, breathing heavily against her rescuer's sturdy grasp.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, looking up at him sightlessly, not questioning how he got into the bathroom. Caelan rubbed his thumb along her shoulder blade as he held her closely. Rachel felt his presence purr within her mind and immediately felt her heart melt despite her determination to look at the preceding events with reason rather than emotion. She could hear his breath become a little labored and his heart skip.

"Of course, my dear," he replied huskily. Her naked, wet breasts heaved against his ribs and he felt their hardened peaks from beneath his shirt. Wave after wave of adrenaline surged through his core as he gazed into her eyes, droplets of water still falling from her lashes and cheeks. A single bead of water fell to her eye like a diamond. Rachel seemed not to notice, her eyes unfaltering in their fixation. A crimson blush crept into her cheeks as she slowly pulled herself away from the mesmerizing embrace. Caelan watched forlornly as his lifemate's curves were hastily hidden behind a large, soft bath towel. The urge to take Rachel was far too strong. The hunter felt his incisors lengthen despite his attempts to suffocate the need. His hands trembled and his mind seemed engulfed in a musky fog. All the centuries, all the fights and death – not once had Caelan ever trembled. A fire burned deep within the wells of his eyes.

With the fragrance of roses and gardens fleeting about her form, Rachel left the shower room, a hand outstretched to find the sink. Her fingertips found the marble of the countertop and she latched onto it, clutching the edge of the sink with whitened knuckles. Caelan felt her distress as she fought for composure. She scanned her body with her mind, feeling every pore. She found her senses enhanced, her strength greatly increased. Running her tongue across her teeth, she discovered that her incisors had become small, delicate points that retreated as she prodded them. She felt her arms begin to quake slightly as she sensed herself become a little faint. Her ear twitched as she heard her heartbeat intimately within her breast. It felt strong and confident against her throat and wrists. The flow of blood felt deeper somehow. Older and more powerful. Her pearly fangs began to lengthen at the thought of blood. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and inclined her head over her shoulder.

"What have you done to me?" she inquired softly, harboring a great deal of self-control. Her eyes strayed blindly to the corner of the room and Caelan could feel the pull of magic surrounding them. Rachel's slight form hunched over the sink, waiting for an answer while her mind worked speedily at a safeguard Caelan could see the magical strands shimmering faintly.

"I have performed the first blood exchange between lifemates. You are my lifemate. I am bound to you and so you are to me. It is the way of my people," Caelan began. He watched Rachel's lips part in subtle surprise, felt her mind stir at the words he spoke. The hunter could feel Rachel's presence seep slowly into his, cautiously, creating a small furrow in his mind where hers could rest peacefully and comfortably, like an animal's den. Soft whispers invaded Caelan's consciousness as he felt her memories cascade through her thoughts. A gentle female voice taught her lessons and played rhyming games. Caelan smiled when he heard a younger Rachel giggling like a bubbling stream, her mother calling after her. The memories faded reluctantly as his lifemate forced herself to think of the present. Despite the brushes of emotion and memories, Caelan found that despite her accepting their bond, he could still hear very little of her active thoughts. Great, complex barriers separated him from her, leaving him aching and empty. As he inspected them further, he noticed that as they spent more time exploring each other's souls, her barriers began to accept him as a part of her, no longer foreign. The hunter, hoping that in return she would trust herself to him completely, opened his mind fully to Rachel, willing her to see any part of him she wished, even the dark crevices he preferred to keep away from even himself. He was hers to explore and devour. Despite his gentle push against her mind to settle into him fully, she stayed curled in the corner she had chosen first. He could feel her thinking, hear murmurs of her thoughts, but was ultimately left in the dark, unwilling to force her compliance.

"You're Carpathian, aren't you," she stated. Caelan watched her still frame in surprise as she let her head hang almost lifelessly above the sink. Her fingers brushed up against her glasses, but she made no move to place them on her cheekbones. "My mother told me stories when I was little. Valiant men who fought for all eternity against the evil they brought into the world, a duty that would never be vanquished. She said that – that someday I would meet one of these men and be brought into their world. Is that who you are? Are you the one I'm suppose to meet?" Rachel's voice seemed small but steadfast, as if she felt like she was acting out a fairy tale. Caelan glided to her silently. Her skin rippled as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, I am," he confessed quietly. He inclined his head, leaning it closer to her cheek. The warmth of his breath on her shoulders made her core rage with fire and she swallowed nervously, remembering details of the stories she'd been told as a little girl. She should have known that her mother's stories would be as real as the eccentricities of their family.

"Eccentricities?" Caelan asked seductively, almost dismissively, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was right in his earlier deduction that they would soon be considered as one entity to her safeguards. Rachel coughed with a laugh. Off course he could read her thoughts. They were practically living in each other's minds at the moment. She ran her tongue along her lip and shook her head. As she evaluated the state of her safeguards, a purr emanated from deep within Caelan's throat as he breathed in her scent. Her body stiffened in astonishment as Caelan gently brushed his lips across her jaw, his body pressed tenderly against hers, a hand cradling her hip. She immediately tensed, her mind unreceptive of the hunter's advancements. Her growl pushed at Caelan and he blinked and pulled himself away from her slowly, diverting his gaze. He had never imagined the pull of a lifemate to be so strong. He had nearly forgotten himself, allowing the beast within him to howl with lust.

Rachel grabbed her glasses and shoved them on her face, looking up at Caelan. She blinked for the first time since leaving the shower as the brightness of the vanity lights hit her eyes. He sent a feeling of apology to her, which she accepted after a moment's hesitation.

"Caelan." Rachel tried the feeling of the name. It was sweet to her ears and dare she think chivalrous, dashing. Caelan's eyes twinkled with amusement as he found her mind testing the waters within his. Her touch was so soft he had barely noticed.

* * *

"Who was your mother?" The question was abrupt and Caelan felt foolish for hurrying the subject. 

"Her name was Linda," Rachel said quietly, looking up into Caelan's eyes. The connection struck deep within her soul and she looked away hastily. She mumbled softly to herself while she padded softly but quickly into her bedroom. She threw open a drawer next to her pillow and began rummaging through a stack of papers and case files. She sat down on the bed with a frustrated huff and shoved a bunch of papers from the bed and onto the floor, continuing her search. Caelan followed closely behind, watching the towel wrapped around her figure begin to loosen precariously. He waited for the delicious sight of her skin with impatience. He wished so eagerly to simply throw the towel from her body and pin her to the sheets it nearly hurt to hold back. Caelan shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of his lustful thoughts. Rachel would be able to hear them if she chose, and he didn't want to alarm her, but the pull was becoming stronger with every moment Caelan was denied the sensation of her skin against his. It was becoming torture and he felt his clothes were entirely too tight to contain his need any longer.

Just as he regained control of himself, Rachel made a victorious noise and held a letter up to the light. Her eyes dragged across the yellowed stationary in haste, drinking in the elegant handwriting and the smell of lilies. Her lips read over the letter silently along with her eyes, a beautifully mesmerizing sight for Caelan. Her bright, full lips were parted in concentration, mimicking the words before her as they reached the end of the correspondence. Her eyes halted over the last few words written, suddenly still and lapping up the thoughts of the page.

Slowly, Rachel let the letter fall from her hand onto the nightstand. She stood, holding the towel to her body as she readjusted it and pushed a wet lock of hair from her face with a sigh of frustration and weariness. She cautiously avoided Caelan's gaze and pulled a pair of pajamas and a sweater from her closet. Without a word she retreated to the bathroom once again.

Caelan's eyes lingered after her retreating form as she quietly shut the door before turning to look at the letter on the nightstand. He picked up the pages and felt a powerful sense of love throbbing along the sheets of paper.

_My dearest Rachel,_

_I know that by now, once you read this I will have left you to fend for yourself and for this I am so terribly sorry. Just know, daughter, that I have left you to protect you from things worse than the mortal world may harbor. What they are, I'll not worry you with, for it's the responsibility of others to introduce you to the greatest light in the world, and the greatest black. I hope you can be patient with life until such a time comes. _

_I can't express in words how much I cherish you in my life, Rachel. You're the light of my world and will guide me through this terrible path I must take. You're my daughter, the daughter of many women with our gifts and I hope that with the little time I've spent with you in my heart that you've learned to use this magic with tender kindness. Your gifts should be used to lift those you come to love, never to drag them down. Remember my dearest, one with your sight, relying solely on the Weave to interpret the life around you harbors the strength of heart and mind to do such wonders the world cannot fathom. You are a precious gift to those you will love and you will never be something worthless. _

_I have but one piece of wisdom left for you now. Your fate lies within your hands, but its path is predetermined. You will find yourself in company of a people older than the whispers that sing to you from the trees in the mornings. Ancient and wise, they are the purest of honor, with the most tainted of fates. Aid them, my dear. Our family has for generations, though with danger lurking so close to us, we have crept in earnest among mortal business for too many years and all but few of our kind have forgotten their duties and lost their gifts. Cherish they who have the mark of a beast in their eyes, and the dragon clawing at their ribs. One such a man will be the pillar for your strength, just as your father was to me. Now that I have been found by the evil of the world, I must leave you undetected. If your gifts are made known, my greatest nightmare is you will not come of age. A terrible burden, you have been born with._

_I fear I have little time left to finish this letter. Be safe and well, my daughter. I will seek the people of fairy tales and hope to find you again someday. Remember those I have spoken of and accept the path fate leaves you. With this I reluctantly lower my pen and sorrowfully leave my daughter to the world of mortal men. Never forget your gifts, my dearest. Never forget your family. _

_With love,_

_Mama_

Caelan let the pages fall to the nightstand once again. His fingers crept to the mark upon his side that labeled him a Dragonseeker. The spiraling dragon burned into his skin felt hot and alive as if his breath and heart were its as well. Caelan turned his head as Rachel entered the bedroom. She leaned against the doorframe, watching her guest's movements intently.

"You have that mark, don't you?" she inquired. Caelan could tell she knew he had read the letter. He nodded gently and approached her with an affectionate purr throbbing in his throat. He didn't bother stifling the noise, feeling no need to hide himself from her.

"It is here, on my rib," he said, taking her hand. He placed her fingertips on his shirt where the dragon lay underneath and felt her excitement. He could tell her mother was the hero of her life.

"Yes well, Mother is God in the eyes of a child. All of my best memories are of my mother and her fairy tales, playing Jacob's Ladder with the Weave, singing silly rhymes outside on the swing set," Rachel said softly, smiling up at him, her fingers tugging lightly at his shirt. She had read his thoughts with a natural fluidness that sent Caelan's mind adrift with a flood of fondness. Rachel's fingers fell slowly down Caelan's shirt before delving under the fabric. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her cool fingers on his hot skin. Her hand slid over his dragon mark and she lifted his shirt to look at it closely. She let her fingers explore the brand tenderly, so much so that Caelan had the impression that she thought she might hurt him. He growled with pleasure so deeply that it was barely audible, but Rachel heard him. Their eyes met for a long moment as Caelan pulled her closer, enjoying the butterflies that beat against the walls of her stomach with his touch and that he could feel them within her. Her cheeks glowed a faint pink as she submitted to his wrapping an arm around her slight waist, her breasts heaving in anticipation against his solid chest.

"Rachel," Caelan purred, pushing his forehead against hers affectionately.

"Yes, Caelan?" she breathed, her eyes drooping as if she were in a trance.

"I fear I will break to pieces if I cannot kiss you. I've waited so long to touch you, I simply can't wait anymore," he said quietly, guiltily. His hand tightened around her waist while the pad of his thumb caressed her jaw, palm wrapped around the nape of her neck. Rachel's abdomen flared with heat as she was taken over by the enchantment of his voice and hands. She could feel the pull of her heart towards his, the immense lust overpowering her fears and traumas. Caelan's lips swept across Rachel's forehead and cheek, setting her glasses askew. She pulled them from her face, revealing her unblinking eyes like blue diamonds and let her frames fall to the bed unceremoniously. The world tinkled softly with the sound of magic and the Weave shimmered like stars in the blackness of her vision. Caelan's mouth fell to her jaw as he caressed her neck. The tingling spot on her throat began to burn white hot with desire under his palm and she sighed with pleasure, her hands tugging gently at his shirt. Caelan fought the urge to will their clothing away as he pulled from the embrace to look into Rachel's eyes.

Her brow was furrowed slightly with the confusion of the moment, the anticipation and need. Her blue diamonds twinkled in the dark of the room and captured Caelan's heart in a vice. He could feel her soft heartbeat resound with a fast pace throughout her chest and throat. He licked his lips, savoring the sound of her heart thudding warmly within her breast. His fingers trailed the impression of Rachel's collarbone as his incisors lengthened with desire. He could barely resist the urge to complete their binding, but restrained himself out of respect for his lifemate.

Much to Caelan's surprise, Rachel's hand captured his jaw with a gentle touch and pulled him into a soft kiss. The beast within him reared its head and howled. The wolves outside the house sang to each other in response, voicing Caelan's needs. Rachel's lips felt soft and inviting, supple sugar to his tongue. She parted her lips for him and he immediately felt her delicate fangs had come to sharp peaks in her mouth. She ran her tongue across his incisors cautiously, tasting him. Caelan's body shuddered and growled as his lifemate nibbled on his bottom lip, drawing a pinprick of blood, which she lapped up tenderly.

Caelan's growl throbbed in his throat, his body aching as he crushed Rachel to his chest in a heated, passionate kiss. The world melted away from him as he devoured Rachel, pulling her within the shelter of his body.

Rachel pulled Caelan away from her for a moment and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. He nearly whimpered with need, greedy for her mouth.

"I'm not sure why, but this feels right," she breathed shakily. Her hand began to unzip her sweater jacket and pulled it away from her chest, exposing the top of her breast from beneath her tank top with modesty. She placed Caelan's hand over her heart with a small, quaking hand. She smiled up at him and he felt her mind, though scared was urging him to drink. Caelan's mouth began to water, his stomach plagued with a steady rush of adrenaline that constricted his muscles and groin with desire. He placed a hand on the back of her neck as he gently brushed his thumb across her cleavage, savoring the feel of her soft, satin skin. Rachel braced herself against the butterfly kisses that he trailed down her neck, across her collar to her chest. Caelan found her pulse, quick and flustered. He heard her hold her breath as he stroked it with his tongue. The hunter wrapped an arm around the small of her back and sank his fangs deep within her supple mound.

Rachel moaned in ecstasy as the initial pain melted away to intense pleasure. Her body dissolved into Caelan's hands as he suckled lightly, her body heated and ready for him to claim her. Caelan growled possessively, pulling himself closer to his lifemate. Once he was satiated, he reluctantly pulled away from the rosy scent and sugar of Rachel's blood. His tongue ran over the pinpricks that oozed with small, dark droplets of blood and healed the wound tenderly, lapping up every last drop of her. He pulled her head forward, her eyes gazing around the room dreamily as he willed his shirt part at the neckline. With a swift, but soft gesture Caelan cut a small laceration in his chest and bent Rachel's mouth to it. She breathed huskily, hovering above the smell of his blood before letting her lips fall gently to the wound. She kissed the wound, licking blood from her lips as she tasted Caelan's ancient blood. He shivered with a purr.

"Drink, my angel. Please, drink," he whispered, lifting a strand of red and gold hair from her face. Rachel began to suckle lightly at the cut and Caelan felt the tug of the second part of the conversion begin to bind them a little closer, letting his eyelids droop as he gave in to the sensation, powerful and hot. As he began to slip deeper in the feel of her lips on his skin, Caelan reveled in the intense feeling that was called love. Not in over two thousand years had he ever experienced love like this. The feel of Rachel's mouth on his pulse pulled at his soul and threatened to engulf it in hot desire. Without warning, Rachel sank her teeth into Caelan's chest and his body bucked with blissful surprise as his eyes opened wide before sinking in pleasure once again. He breathed heavily, his jaw lax with ecstasy. After drinking as much as she dared, Rachel hesitantly pulled herself away from the puncture wounds she'd created and imitated Caelan, licking the wound. She felt it close beneath her tongue, healed by her saliva. It was a perplexing but instinctual gesture. She let him pull her jaw into a slow, caressing kiss as he pulled her body against his once again.

Caelan felt the barriers of Rachel mind slacken significantly and he buried himself within her thoughts, listening to the childhood rhymes and laughter, the screams of pain and nightmares, her feelings and voice and sight. His world became dark around the edges, swallowing the bedroom and the light around him. A subtle pressure on his mind, alerted the hunter to something drastically different taking place in his senses. Caelan pulled away from the kiss and looked around him with wonderment. The bedroom looked like a starlit sky, a sea of diamonds in a vast, dark ocean.

"Amazing," Caelan said from under his breath. He felt Rachel's smile broaden, barely able to contain her joy within his mind. His eyes followed after the sound of her laughter and he found her eyes glowing in the dark of the room, seeing deep within his. He felt no need to blink or stray his eyes from hers for the moments they spent transfixed by the magic of Rachel's world. Reluctantly, they broke the connection and her twinkling world of stars faded from Caelan's view to that of material colors. Once again Rachel stared up at the hunter with sightless eyes, but her smile had reached them despite their inability to see flesh and blood. They brightened with a white warmth, a core of heat reflecting through the ice of her orbs.

* * *

_Caelan_. Gregori's voice cut through the moment like a knife and Caelan's smile faded. There was urgency in the Dark One's voice. 

_Yes, friend?_

_The Dark Mage has attacked the soil and our Prince needs healing severely. We cannot retreat to the earth for rest. We have need of you to help break his magic_. The Ancient sounded worn and tired.

_Of course. We'll come within the next rising. _The connection between the two was cut off abruptly with a mental salute. Caelan breathed a heavy sigh and caressed Rachel absently, grateful for their closeness, which provided him with a great deal of comfort. The fire smoldered within him still, but he snuffed it out with the thought of his duties. Rachel sensed his heavy heart and a surge of warmth and affection flowed through his mind, easing the tension in his body.

"We have much to talk about now, my dear," he said gently, easing their hold reluctantly and guiding her to sit on the bed. Rachel felt across the comforter for her glasses. Caelan picked them up and placed them in her hand gently. She smiled as she placed them on her face and blinked a few times, adjusting to the difference in sight.

"You know that I am Carpathian, yes?" Caelan asked, rubbing her hand affectionately. Rachel nodded, listening intently. Caelan could feel her pulling out old stories her mother told her from her memories while he spoke. "What do you know of us?"

"You are bound to a duty to kill vampires, which are your darkness, your evil. Your lifemate is the light to your dark, my mother always said. They bring color back to your world, and emotions. She said you're immortal and a powerful, honorable people with extraordinary powers and –" Rachel stopped short, looking up at Caelan. "All of those stories she told me are true, aren't they? And Jack, he was a vampire, wasn't he? And you –" Rachel stuttered a moment, searching Caelan's eyes. "I'm almost like you now, aren't I?"

"It takes three blood exchanges for you to become Carpathian, but yes. You'll be sickened by food and will feel the sleep of our people upon you when the sun rises," he explained. Rachel nodded with acceptance. Caelan could feel that her mother had taught her to accept the day this would come. "You, my dearest, are my lifemate. The light to my dark."

Rachel looked up at him with a tenderness that could turn a steeled heart to mush. She nodded within his mind and he felt her sense of acceptance, love and caring. Her almost pouting lips were sensual and inviting as she smiled. Caelan stifled the feelings rising in his chest and busied himself with solemn matters.

"We have to return to the Carpathian Mountains, our home land tomorrow night," he said hesitantly. Rachel looked at him with shock.

"What do you mean? Why? I have to work. Oh god, they don't know what's happened to me," Rachel mumbled, searching the room for her phone. She found it crushed upon the floor and heaved a great sigh. "I'm going to get my head served to me on a platter," she said to herself forlornly.

"You won't be able to work there anymore," Caelan said calmly. He watched her expression become weary.

"No, I suppose not. I still have to do something about it though. I can't simply disappear," she expressed. Caelan nodded, already formulating a plan.

"The soil in the mountains has been attacked. Without being able to rest in the soil, our people cannot heal mortal wounds or sleep fitfully and it will weaken us greatly. The Dark Mage, our kind's greatest enemy, Xavier has woven a powerful spell to keep the soil of the area from accepting us. Our people's prince and many of the hunters live in the region and I've been told that they've just recently had a large battle. I've been called back to help unravel the spell tomorrow night," Caelan explained. Rachel looked up hopefully.

"He wove a spell, you said? I can take it apart. Let me help you and the others," she said with a look of hope written across her green eyes. Caelan felt the protective beast within stir with unease, but nodded his compliance. Her mother's letter echoed through his mind and he could not bring himself to deny his lifemate her purpose.

"The Carpathian Mountains are quite far away. How are we going to get there?" Rachel asked, tilted her head to one side. Caelan smiled.

"You leave transportation to me. We'll travel with the wind after tomorrow."

Rachel slipped under the covers and yawned. Caelan could feel the dawn approaching and sighed. The nights had gone by far too quickly since he found his angel. He was grateful that they had an eternity to live together. He pulled the covers close to Rachel's frame and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Thank you," Caelan whispered. Rachel's lips parted in a teasing smile.

"What for?"

"Accepting me. So many reject the idea at first. I was –," Caelan cut short, ashamed of himself. He felt Rachel's warm push, encouraging him to continue what he was saying. "I was so close to turning that I doubt I would have taken rejection. Jack was to be my last hunt before I surrendered to the dawn, if I even made it through the kill without succumbing to evil," he said softly, his hand tracing the contours of her face and neck. Rachel smiled and her eyelids dropped sleepily. She could feel Caelan urging her to sleep with his voice, hypnotizing her with his soothing words that dripped like honey from his lips.

"You said your kind need a deeper sleep, yes?" Rachel asked squeakily, fighting off the need to rest. Caelan nodded at her, running his fingers through her silky hair. "Lay here and sleep how you do. I don't mind," she said nervously. Caelan smiled, his pearly teeth nearly glowing in the dim of the room.

"You can't think I'm dead if you awake before I do," he warned. "Our sleep stops the heart and breath. You won't feel me within your mind."

"I'll be fine as long as you rest well," Rachel said, her lashes hiding her eyes. Caelan removed her glasses from the bridge of her nose and kissed her forehead once more.

"Very well, my angel. I will rest beside you. Now sleep," he commanded. Rachel fell into sleep immediately. Caelan slipped under the covers and crowded his lifemate's warmth. Before allowing himself to slip away, he pushed away any nightmares that may surface during her dreaming, and gave her a compulsion to sleep until the sun set. Her fingers curled around his as he slipped into a fitful repose, dreamless but peaceful.

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A/N: I hope that was worth the painstaking length! Let me know if the breaks in the chapter for convenience make the writing seem too choppy...They do for me, but hey! I'm just the author.

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hmm. Not much to say. Enjoy!_  
_

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_Chapter Four_

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A steady, deep rhythm began to resonate throughout the almost misty bedroom as the sun's last rays sank beneath the horizon. Blood began to flow through Caelan's body, instantly warming his senses and skin. His eyes flew open, struck with immediate unease. Though the sheets and space of the bed next to him were still warm with signs of life, Rachel was nowhere to be found. Caelan's mind was already working fast, scanning the grounds for signs of danger and breaches in his magical barriers, but found none.

Caelan sniffed. Something smelled different and distant memories wafted through his head as he tried to place the smell. He quickly rose from his resting place and silently, swiftly approached the stairs. He felt urgently for Rachel's mind, hoping to find her whereabouts quickly in case of danger, but to his surprise he found it curled cozily within his. The dread that had built up in his heart was released with a heavy sigh and he cursed himself for his lack of control. Fear had gripped him far too easily and he had been hasty. He felt Rachel pour comfort into his thoughts and his body warmed greatly at her acknowledgement.

"Now stop lurking up there and come down," Rachel laughed, leaning over the kitchen counter. Her hair spilled from a very messy bun tangled atop her head and streamers of gold and red waves fell about her face in an alluring display of unruly concentration. Caelan grinned as she slid back off the countertop.

"What are you getting yourself into?" he teased, sauntering down the stairs as he willed himself groomed. He heard the clattering of pots falling, clanging noisily as they fell over Rachel's head and rolled down her arms to crash on the tiles. Caelan picked up a spinning pasta bowl and placed it gently in the sink.

Rachel cursed and blew a stray fly of hair from her eyes as she put her hands on her hips and looked around the kitchen. "I'm trying to figure out what I want to eat. I'm _starving_, but whenever I make something, I just can't bring myself to eat it," she said absently, pulling some eggs from the refrigerator. She looked at the eggs in her hands a moment as if weighing them on a scale before making a frustrated sound and throwing them back in their carton.

Caelan watched a few moments as Rachel bustled around the kitchen. He took in the sight of pancakes, waffles, toast, cereal, french toast, and a half empty glass of orange juice. He shook his head, barely able to contain the laugh that threatened to burst from his mouth. He knew that food would become a problem, of course. He just hadn't realized that it would be such entertainment to watch the events play out. Most other Carpathian males said that the transition was so hard that these times rarely brought amusement aside from lust.

"What are you so amused by, hmm?" Rachel said, spinning on her heel. Caelan hastily pushed away his bemused thoughts and Rachel nodded at him with satisfaction.

"You need to drink, my dearest," Caelan said softly. He approached her with a very powerful stride, looking deeply into her grey eyes. She stopped her nervous pitter-pattering and let herself swim in his amber orbs. His voice was a weapon of seduction and she felt its pull, but blinked it away as she listened to the magic in the air tinkle like chimes in the wind. The sound always helped her pull away from the follies of her mind.

"I know I should, but – Well the only thing I can seem to keep down is the orange juice and –"

Caelan laughed softly, surprising them both. Most of their time together he had been so calm and self-restrained. He shook his head and rubbed a hot thumb against her neck. She could feel him purring in her mind and she fought the temptation to melt into his arms. Rachel blinked and averted her eyes, looking at her kitchen with a heavy sigh.

"Blood, my dearest. You need blood," he told her gently, eyes filled with adoration. Rachel couldn't help her cheeks becoming a faint pink as she remembered the feel of his lips on her skin.

"Oh, right," she replied softly. Caelan sighed as he lightly pushed strands of hair from her face. She could feel regret in his mind as he pulled away from her. The hunter knew that blood was hard to accept in the beginning. Even the Prince's lifemate still had troubles accepting the nourishment of their kind. Caelan's body tightened at the thought of Rachel's lips on his pulse, but shoved the fantasy brutally to the back of his mind as his thoughts were replaced with those of great trepidation.

"You'll have to manage until we return to the mountains. We must return to our homeland quickly," he said, diverting the real issue. If they did exchange blood in the way that Caelan's instincts howled for him to, they wouldn't be able to make the journey for at least another night. Despite his growing need, the beast practically gnawing at his will, Caelan could not deny his duty to protect his Prince and his lifemate. He felt Rachel's mind stroking his in consolation and closed his eyes briefly, willing her not to see the true meaning and physical need that came with their third exchange of blood, but he could sense that she was much faster at picking up the ways of the Carpathians that he'd thought.

"The real issue is taking blood from _you_, isn't it?" she asked quietly. Caelan nodded, knowing she could see his darkest needs and hear them roaring in his ears, telling him what he should do to her. That he should claim her for himself forever.

"Yes, it is. We can't risk a conversion while traveling during such dangerous times and even if you took my blood without an exchange, the temptation is far too strong for me. And I can't stand the thought of you drinking from anyone else," he confessed softly. He didn't try to mask the jealousy that pulled at the beast within him. Despite the darker side of his personality, Rachel warmly engulfed his mind with affection.

"Well in either case, I should probably clean this u—" Rachel began after a moment of awkward acceptance but soon stuttered to a halt, looking about the kitchen. Caelan smirked as she took in the sight of her spotless cabinets, counters, and oven. She mumbled something to herself and reached for her glass of orange juice. Caelan took the time to feel whether or not his lifemate's mind had become accustomed to his living within her, hoping that the hours they'd spent so close had helped their bond. In the night, though the hunter had been nearly lifeless, he had felt Rachel curl up against him, warming his cold skin despite her trembling. Feeling her distress just before lethargy had completely claimed him, he had pulled her closer within the shelter of his body and entwined his fingers with hers. Caelan gently probed the walls of her mind and found that her safeguards and barriers had completely absorbed his presence as a part of hers and he found himself able to see her wholly from within. Rachel hummed absently while he frowned. She had kept much from him, filtering what he could and could not hear and feel within the depths of her mind. Her body ached horribly from before the healing and she was incredibly weak from starting such an enormous spell and being so badly injured. Caelan could feel her shaking, afraid of what had happened to her and what was about to happen. She seemed so certain of her abilities with the Weave, but her meager state left her doubting whether or not she'd have the strength to perform what was necessary if the time came for powerful magic. The hunter frowned with concern and watched his angel prance around the kitchen seemingly without a care. She stopped at the sink, taking one last drag of her juice before turning on the faucet. Caelan watched her intently as he pushed against her mind, taking away the bulk of her pain into himself. Such aching was hardly bothersome to him anymore and being able to take the burden from her was something he felt as a pleasure rather than a simple duty. She faltered for a moment and was immediately evaluating herself and what he had just done. With one swift motion, she took back her own pain and continued with the dishes. Caelan calmly took it from her again and rubbed against her conscience, easing her thoughts. He felt her trembling cease as he helped her heart and breathing become balanced with his, steady and strong.

"Thank you," she said quietly from over her shoulder before rinsing out her glass and setting it in the dish drainer. She turned around, her eyes bright.

"You passed my barriers."

"I did."

A silence hung in the air as Rachel inspected Caelan with a gentle caress of her thoughts. Never once did she doubt their bond or his trust-worthiness. She simply evaluated her safeguards, which seemed to be adapting to his being there. He could feel her pull at them, urging them to evolve and become more expansive to help protect him also. The hunter's heart warmed and he let his mind feel what hers did so quickly and with such ease. She let him feel how to weave and the almost sticky strands of magic that nestled within their minds just like a spiderweb.

Caelan smiled at how quickly Rachel had accepted his presence and shared such intimate talents with him. Even Natalya, lifemate to Vikirnoff was half-Carpathian, half-Mage when she was converted to his people and had a very bad time accepting what had happened to her. A woman like Rachel accepting her life's greatest milestone with such ease and grace was very rare and welcomed.

"I'll keep you from being sick, if you'll eat," Caelan said with a warm voice.

"But the food's gone. You just um, disposed of it," she said awkwardly, gesturing to the countertops. Caelan put a hand over her eyes and instantly the smell of sausage, eggs and biscuits with gravy filled the house. Rachel pushed his hand away from her cheeks and looked at the counter, her jaw hanging from its hinges.

"You know, one regret I'll have is that this will be my last time eating. I'll never get over the smells and colors of real food," she said to herself, pulling up a stool. Fork in hand, Rachel tentatively ate a bite of sausage before her spine rippled with pleasure. She pulled on Caelan's consciousness and let him taste the foods with her. The crisp taste of spicy sausage and creamy gravy filled his mind and he watched with amusement as Rachel gobbled up the food.

"I've never once had human food. I was raised on blood," he said absently. Rachel blinked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"I pride myself on my ability to cook. That's the one thing my dad taught me before he died. He was such a good cook," Rachel sighed, remembering the taste of her dad's steak, wine spaghetti and many other dishes. Caelan experienced them all gingerly as they flowed through her mind like a slideshow.

"Carpathians look down on the eating of flesh, actually. It's a bit repulsive to our kind, but I will admit that through your tongue it tastes much better than I would have imagined." Caelan reached for her plates as she finished up her last bit of eggs and licked his lips, tasting her last bite of human food. Her mind seemed to despair, but packed away the tasty memories in a loving corner of her mind to remember forever.

"That's understandable. A lot of humans don't eat meat actually. If you really think about it, it _is_ pretty gross," Rachel mused with a laugh. She shook her head in amusement and wiped off the counter. Caelan looked at the faucet, then the dishes before he willed them cleaned distractedly as he scanned the area beyond the house. The wolves howled and the hunter's eyes strayed to the woods beyond the backyard. The forest was unnaturally black, as if it was pulling light into its depths like a well. The air became stale and Caelan calmed the wolves, telling them to patrol the area for anything demonic. They dutifully went about the house and for a moment, the female pressed her nose against the glass of the sliding doors in the living room. Rachel held her gaze for a moment before turning back to Caelan who pulled her by the hand back up to the bedroom. She followed him up the stairs quietly, feeling his mind dissolve the nausea that would have plagued her.

"We'll be leaving soon, won't we?" she asked, gently probing his thoughts. Caelan nodded and grabbed his cloak from the chair he had haunted for many nights. Rachel silently pulled more suitable clothing from her drawers and felt Caelan's sense of urgency build. Something felt off, dangerous and oily. Caelan scanned the grounds once again, but all was clear save a few deer that had wandered into the thicket behind the house.

"What will we do about work?" Rachel asked. Caelan's eyes glittered in the dark of the room as his gaze strayed over Rachel's form. She pulled a full set of clothing from her drawers and closet before scooping it all up awkwardly in her arms and stumbling towards the bathroom.

"I'll take care of it. Get dressed quickly," he said. The skies grew misty and heavy, drowning out the light of the moon and stars. Caelan turned away from the windows and began to overturn furniture and rip fabric. With a wave of his hand, blood spattered the walls in handprints and skid marks on the floor. He walked down the stairs with a stony expression and recreated the splintered, broken cabinets of the fight before. Crimson fluid seeped down the walls and as Caelan strolled out the backdoor, he pulled with his fingers to the marks and stains on the carpet, leaving signs of struggle out across the patio and into the yard. Caelan heard Rachel scream as she left the bathroom, gawking at the mess made in her house. She stumbled down the stairs, past the fragmented cabinets and out the door. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw Caelan standing in a pool of blood inspecting the wreckage like an artist critiquing his latest masterpiece.

"Do we _really_ need to make it look like I've been murdered?" Caelan nodded at her blatant whine of protest. He twisted his fingers and the screen door ripped from its hinges, falling with a loud shattering noise to the patio cement. Rachel jumped away with a squeak.

"You nearly were. If your colleagues think you're dead, they won't search so far for you and any evil that lurks nearby will attribute your disappearance to the vampire, not an escape. You'll be forgotten by whatever demons lurk here, or at least for a time. This feels too powerful to be so easily fooled, but it will at least buy us time," Caelan explained. He stepped away from the gruesome scene he had created and nodded his approval of the wreckage.

"This doesn't resemble Jack's work at all though. He always left the victim," Rachel reasoned, looking around the site.

"It will have to do. I feel something testing the barriers beyond the house. A servant of the vampire, I expect. A ghoul," Caelan said absently. He sniffed the air and reached out to the wolves guarding the home. They howled in response and shared their vision with their pack leader. A ghoul was indeed crawling closer to the estate, jerking and drooling, his limbs twisting in a grotesque manner and his thin bloodied lips gaping open, leaving a small trail of acidic saliva in its wake. Caelan protectively put himself between the woods and Rachel's small frame. Something far greater than a mere servant was watching from beyond Caelan's alarms and safeguards. Calling to the clouds hanging in the skies, the hunter allowed his beast to growl possessively as his mate put a soothing hand on his shoulder, attempting to peer around his powerful frame. Extending a hand towards the thunderheads above, Caelan pulled a whip of lightning towards the ghoul, who looked up with a twisted scowl of madness. As the lightning struck the creature, it screeched a horrifying howl that sent birds flying into the rain, which had begun to fall sharply to the ground. Caelan fed the fire with his eyes on the pitiful servant, chanting softly under his breath. The earth rolled beneath the couple as nature seemed to drag the ghoul away from Rachel's property and back into the forest. In the dark of the canopy, Rachel could see nothing, but hear the creature writhe with pain and scream in hatred. Two bolts of lightning struck the earth with a satisfying crack. The ghoul's dying hiss resounded through the hills backing Rachel's house and the rain began to fade into a drizzle.

Rachel had watched the scene with fascination. The pull of magic had nearly mesmerized her, exciting her body and mind in ways she never thought aggression could and it nearly made her choke. Whispers of magic and darkness pulled at her senses, wooing her, luring her into the depths of the night-veiled wood. The hills seemed to hum a chant to her, twisting their roots around her feet and willing her to step just one foot towards them. Just one foot wouldn't harm her. One foot forward and she would be able to see the magic that called to her. Rachel lifted her foot and the whispering spiraled about her ears. The magic was so strong, she could almost see it even with her glasses. She felt her vision become blurry as the magic began to take hold of her.

"Rachel? Rachel, what's the matter?" Caelan asked. He held her firmly away from the forests, his body shielding her from the sight of the smoldering ground and stench. She blinked once before shivering and bit her lip, forcing the sensation of thrill from her mind. Caelan felt her exertion and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look in his eyes. He spoke quietly to her with a strong compulsion dripping from his lips, pulling her gaze towards him.

"That was um, somewhat disgusting," Rachel said without resolution, turning away from the hunter's powerful eyes. She stared at the forest while Caelan pulled her away again and with much more force. In truth she had been excited by the destruction of the ghoul, enjoying the tingling of ancient power pulling itself from the soil and air. The sensation had been so strong she had gotten goose bumps and pulled her gaze from the black thicket with great hesitation. Caelan noticed her shivering skin and willed her dry and warm with a thought.

"We must move quickly. Grab your information on the vampire and we'll leave," Caelan commanded gently, a feeling of pure dread settling deep within his stomach. His heart clenched painfully as he watched magic coils fade from his lifemate's eyes, bringing her back to the present. Rachel blinked rapidly and nodded, loping back into the house to grab photographs, evidence files, research and anything else that had helped her in her case. Caelan pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number for emergencies. A woman's nasal voice sounded on the other end as she rattled off what was apparently the routine answer for the emergency phone line.

"Yes, good evening. I'd like to report a murder and break-in – 8 McKee Avenue – Yes, Agent Conaway's residence – No, as a matter of fact it seems she's been killed – Of course," Caelan snapped the phone shut and turned towards the door, calmly awaiting Rachel's return. His body was still tense with unease as he watched the dark, hollow entrance to the house. Rachel had experienced something powerful and alluring while he destroyed the ghoul in the woods. As Caelan felt the thick compulsion to enter the forest pull at his lifemate, he heard a voice enchanting her, ensnaring her in its sound. The hunter sniffed the air and felt the disturbance retreat softly and the world became a little brighter, the woods blowing gently in the breeze of the night.

Rachel appeared in the entrance to the home with a black, waterproof portfolio in tow. Caelan smiled encouragingly at her and rubbed his thumb across her jaw. Her mental purr made heat cascade down the core of Caelan's body as he stole a kiss.

"You've called them then."

"Yes."

"Then let's get going. I might change my mind if I'm given a moment to think," she warned, trying to lighten the burden of unease collecting like heavy lead in her chest.

"Come here to me, angel," Caelan whispered soothingly. Rachel curled her fingers around his as he gazed deeply into her eyes and let his hands slide across her neck and back. She felt her eyelids close and her vitals calming. Caelan let her limp body fall gracefully into his powerful hold and lifted her into his arms. He stood a moment, the wolves approaching him with affection as they whimpered, begging to leave the area. Sirens sounded in the distance and lights danced along the canopy of the hills as police cars raced to Rachel's house. The hunter brushed a gentle kiss across his lifemate's forehead and retreated with his pack to the wilderness.

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A/N: Here's where it gets interesting! Muaha.

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	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting, but I had no internet for the past week and a half! So frustrating! It just randomly popped back up a few minutes ago, so I took the moment to post. Enjoy!

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Chapter Five

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_The fields of wheat swayed quietly as a soft breeze brushed against the stalks. A child ran barefoot through the mossy grassland laughing, her small white jumper catching on the harvest as she padded through the golden rows. The young girl's hair flowed behind her in bright gold locks, curling and swaying with the wheat surrounding her. Though the air was bright and warm, no matter where the young girl looked, no sun was visible and the moon hung in the sky like a ruin, long forgotten and crumbled. The wheat stretched on across the flat meadows farther than the eye could see in all directions, surrounding the young girl in a sea of gentle emptiness. _

_"Gotcha!"_

_A pair of hands reached up from the depths of the bountiful grain and snatched the girl, pulling her into a tight squeeze. She screamed as she was pulled to the earth and squirmed when her mother's fingers crawled across her ribs, sending her into fits of giggles. _

_"I've been waiting to catch you, Rachel," her mother said, brimming with happiness. Her eyes swept over her daughter's face with great love and warmth. Rachel beamed up at her mother and abruptly stuck out her tongue playfully. _

_"I miss you, Mama," the girl sighed, throwing her arms around the woman's delicate shoulders. She burrowed her face in her mother's neck and smelled sunflowers falling down her strands of rich brown hair._

_"I've missed you too, little one. Time certainly has passed far too quickly," she said. Rachel, older and wiser, rolled onto her back and looked up at the serene, but empty sky. The moon above was like a guardian statue, watching over them while the blue of the day basked the world in color. _

_"Mother, why did you leave?" Rachel asked. She turned back to look at her mother, her choppy red and gold hair falling over her face messily. The woman brushed the strands from her vision with a loving hand and Rachel could see her mother's eyes die while she smiled at her daughter. _

_"My father was a bad man, dear. I hid you away from him and led him astray in the hopes that you'd grow to be a beautiful young woman. And look at you now. You're more spectacular than I could have imagined," she said quietly, a tear pooling over her cheek. Rachel watched her mother's eyes sink with exhaustion, small lines of suffering begin to pull at the edges of her mouth. What had happened to her? Various bruises and marks of ill treatment scorned her arms and neck, a small drip of blood spilling over her clavicle. _

_"Mom?"_

_"Shh, my child. I have little time to tell you. They've found you. You must run and find help. You have to leave where you are and search for the ones I told you of in stories. You must do this, my blue diamonds. You _must_ run. If they find you, the world is in danger," her mother whispered urgently. Marks of shackles and chains chafed at her wrists and she began to tremble. Her image began to fade and she blinked rapidly, looking about her in a display of terror. Rachel reached for her arm and pulled her mother's gaze back to her._

_"Mother! Where are you? Tell me now. The man you told me of already came for me, we've fled. Tell me where you are!" Rachel tried to shake her mother by the shoulders, tears streaming down her face in a fleeting hopelessness. Salty drops stained her glasses and she blinked to see clearly through them. _

_"The caves. Run. That _monster_ is coming for you. Wake yourself and run!" _

_Rachel clutched at air as the warmth of her mother's skin faded with the woman's sharp intake of air and pain. _

_Rachel stood, trying to find the edges of the fields, searching for a way to escape her dream. The breeze had faded and the sunlight died, leaving the moon alive and vengeful. A voice, familiar and dripping with an enticing poison pulled at Rachel. She searched the horizon relentlessly, running through the rows of grain as they snagged at her arms and legs, leaving scrapes and small droplets of blood running down her limbs. She stopped to catch her breath as panic began to push against her chest, constricting her heart and lungs. A gentle but urgent whisper pushed at her mind but slipped away before she could grasp it. The wind of a voice from beyond the cage of the skies was clawing to get to her side. It continued to desperately tug at her, still barely able to touch the fingers tips of her thoughts. Concentrating as well as she could, she reached for the voice, stretching herself as far as she could and closing her eyes._

_A hand brushed away her hair from behind and glided across her spine. She gasped and whipped around, her hair flying in a choppy thrash across the air. _

"_You are so lovely from such a proximity. I wish in dreams that I could taste your blood," a tall, dark and elegant man said calmly. His voice trickled with a menacing venom which he covered well. Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and covered her neck with one hand. She took several steps away from the man as he smiled charmingly. _

"_Why do you run from me? I want simply to taste you. You smell like honey and roses," he explained. He took one step closer and Rachel blinked away his piercing gaze and laughing features. She felt him press up against her as she opened her eyes and pushed at the wall of his chest, attempting to break his hold on her._

"_I'm not yours to taste," Rachel said vehemently. She tied her hands together and pressed them against his chest. A powerful volt of energy coursed through the man's chest and he broke his hold, hissing at her. With a quick word and wave of her hand, she brought a barrier between her and the man who straightened his tailored jacket calmly, stabbing her with his demonic glare. _

"_I'll taste you. _Ever_y part of you. I'll take you and watch the life fade from your eyes. Beautiful, innocent eyes," he cooed, running a finger across her barrier. He seemed not to care that his hand began to sizzle with its effect and licked his lips, the fire burning deep within his black orbs. Rachel backed away from him, shaking her head. _

"_I'd never let myself be killed by someone like you. It'd be too much of a waste to give you the satisfaction," she spat. _

"_Someone like me?" He looked up, grinning. Rachel could feel the presence in her mind clawing and roaring to break in, to help her. The other man could feel it too and smirked. "Love, you were _min_e first." He began to laugh and snapped his fingers, the dream fading painfully from Rachel's mind. The black surrounding her buzzed like locusts, crawling across her skin and she screamed for an eternity while the insects ate at her flesh._

Rachel awoke screaming and writhing in Caelan's arms. He held her tightly and willed her eyes open to see him. He calmed her mind and heart, helping her to breathe and feel his warm arms encircling her.

"Rachel, I'm here. Calm down, my dearest," he whispered, holding her close, rocking her soothingly.

Rachel's eyes flew open and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trembling. Caelan growled, the fire within his gaze blazing to life as she shared her dream with him. His grip tightened possessively and he kissed her forehead. The male wolf standing next to him rose to his hindquarters and sniffed Rachel protectively, trying to identify what presence had scared her so badly. He fell back to his forepaws and howled, summoning other loyal wolves in the area.

"We have to run. We have to go, right now," Rachel whispered, stuttering like a broken record. She shook violently, her skin deathly cold. Caelan coiled himself around her mind protectively and searched the area with bright, wild eyes.

"I can feel evil as well. However, we've been running for many hours now and I've not fed properly for many days. I fear that whatever evil has followed us would best me this night," Caelan said calmly. His stony features hardly betrayed the blatant concern in his eyes. He caressed and stroked her mind constantly, whispering words in the Ancient tongue in an attempt to calm the thoughts that were spilling over her mind like a waterfall crashing down on crags of rocks.

"Let me feed you," Rachel said breathlessly. Her shaky hands began to work rapidly as Caelan was about to protest. He felt her mind push blood away from her meaning and his gaze fell upon her hands, nervously wringing themselves together.

"Blood is the only thing that can satisfy my hunger," he began, but Rachel pushed her finger against his lips. Caelan shuddered despite the growing evil and felt his body become uncomfortably hot.

"Here. This will replenish your strength and endurance at the very least," Rachel said, her body and mind calming as she focused on her task. She looked over the top of her glasses and Caelan caught a glimpse of her gem-like eyes sparkling in the dim moonlight. With a surprisingly steady hand, she plucked some invisible thread from her palm and pressed it against her lips. Caelan watched in fascination as her lips brightened with a wave of magic. Without a word, she pulled Caelan into an electrifying kiss. Caelan growled as power poured into his person like lightning. The paining hunger that had plagued his body during their flight melted away as desire replaced all of his aches and toils. Caelan felt his strength increase and adrenaline build his reflexes and awareness. As his body was satisfied with its health once again, the hunter pulled away and searched Rachel's eyes. She was far more than she boasted. He could feel her modesty, but wasn't fooled by it anymore. She brimmed with magic and ancient power. Caelan dipped his head and stole another, smaller kiss knowing that if he let himself get lost in her lips they'd be vulnerable. He purred, his amber eyes caressing hers as he devoured her image, beast rubbing against her mind affectionately.

"I'll assume that it helped then," Rachel gloated, smirking. Caelan laughed and nodded. He could feel her unease as the atmosphere thickened with malevolence and felt a great sense of pride at how well she handled the dangers they faced.

"It was unlike any healing I've ever experienced," he admitted. He pulled away from her gaze as he felt his companion dip his head and lower his tail, squinting into the dark of the woods.

Four wolves trotted into the glade, alert and wary. They greeted the male and female that had accompanied Caelan and his lifemate through their journey thus far. The hunter was silent a moment, exchanging information and a sparse introduction with his pack. The four new males lifted their muzzles to Rachel and took in her scent. She smiled at them and lowered a hand to their inquiring noses. The alpha male licked her knuckles and she stroked his jaw tenderly.

"We must depart. Evil is closer now. I fear it lurks just ahead," Caelan said quietly. He instructed the wolves to move ahead and scout the area. They dispersed quickly and ran out into the night and cover of the canopy. Rachel climbed out of Caelan's arms and they walked quickly through a small deer trail leading up the side of the mountains. Rachel looked back over the hills and couldn't see any sign of life at all.

"How far have we traveled?" she asked quietly, awed at the sight. Heavily wooded hills rolled in all directions. She couldn't see even a road scarring the terrain. The only light was the light of the moon, which was dim. Nevertheless, the sight was bright and breathtaking to her eyes.

"We're at the tip of the Carpathian Mountains. We're about to peak the spine," Caelan said absently.

"How – But the Carpathain Mountains are – My house is in _New York_," she stuttered, her mouth agape. The woods felt Ancient and wise to her and she felt some great burden lift from her shoulders, as if she had been freed from a casting mold.

"We flew. You'll learn more in the days to come, my dear. However, let's first make it to the heart of the mountains. You'll meet many more like us there," Caelan promised. He beckoned to her and she climbed up a boulder to reach his side. They made their way with a quick pace up the side of the spine, trying desperately to find open space before whatever demons followed could reach them.

_Gregori._ Caelan reached out. He could feel danger seeping through the air, reaching out to them like talons.

_Yes, friend._

_Something stalks us. We're in the tail spine of the mountains._

_Dominic and I are on our way. Keep safe 'til we arrive._ Caelan broke the contact with a nod of appreciation and pulled Rachel farther up the mountain by her hand. She followed wordlessly and tripped once or twice. She silently cursed her clumsiness and decided to pay more attention to where her feet were leading her.

Rachel could feel fingers pulling at her neck from behind and she faltered a third time, this time failing to catch herself. Caelan whipped around and caught her around the waist. He glanced at the open meadow ahead and pulled Rachel to her feet urgently, carrying her in his arms.

"He's here, Caelan," she said, fear pumping through her veins. They could hear the wind laugh as they reached the clearing of a large meadow. Immediately as they broke free of the woods, Rachel screamed in agony. She became dead weight in Caelan's arms and he hunted the surrounding woods with a beastly sight, his instincts flaring angrily as he roared.

Rachel felt her flesh crawling as an invisible hand stroked her features and whispered in her ears. Flashes of her mother's wounds burned her mind and seared her flesh as bruises and blood began to form on her skin. She broke out in a blood sweat and bit her lip, trying in vain to keep herself still and quiet so that Caelan could concentrate. He enveloped her in a warm embrace, pulling her closer to his chest.

_Caelan_, Rachel's mind whispered pleadingly. The hunter's body stiffened at her suffering voice and he reached out to her with a soft brush of his mind, thankful that she had finally decided to use their private path of communication.

_Yes, my dearest?_

_He's right in front of us_, Rachel whispered in his head. She looked up at the space just before them and Caelan knew she spoke the truth. With a fleeting claw, the hunter struck at the air before them, tearing muscle and flesh away from the shoulder of a vampire who screeched with anger and pulled away. As he fell away from the couple, the vampire flickered into vision and Caelan let Rachel climb from his arms, pulling her behind his body. The vampire quickly regained his composure and stood effortlessly, without a sound. He brushed some dirt from the sleeve of his tailored black jacket and smiled.

"Caelan," he said, nodding in greeting. The hunter never faltered.

"Vadim."

"What a pleasant surprise to see you traveling through the spine. It's been many decades since you've returned home," the monster sneered. He looked handsome and gentlemanly, attempting a casual façade. Caelan shut out communication with the other Carpathians, feeling Vadim searching his mind for a link to help. Caelan stood like a statue, watching the vampire with timeless eyes.

"I've stayed away for good reasons."

"Yes. It _is_ a shame that you found her. One more kill and you would have joined our ranks I hear," Vadim said nonchalantly. He smiled enticingly at Rachel who glared like a scared and defiant child from behind Caelan's protective form.

"I would have disappointed you actually. I was to face the dawn that day."

"Ah. Well in either case, I'm afraid your fate is not much different. Of course," he added, "Your woman will be left alive for a time. I've a sweet tooth for her, it just so happens."

Rachel felt Caelan's body bristle with warning as Vadim stepped a foot closer. He smiled pleasantly, watching the hunter with an unperturbed expression smeared across his face. His eyes strayed to Rachel's once again and he licked his incisors, menace sparkling beneath his beautiful complexion. The pressure of his mind on the hunter's slackened as his attention drifted to Rachel and Caelan took the chance to warn the others.

_Gregori, Dominic. It's Vadim_. Caelan's message poured over the common Carpathian channel with a note of despair. He could feel them rush faster as they geared themselves for battle, blurring across the mountains.

"Sorry, Caelan. You'll be dead before they arrive," Vadim said with a grin, his piercing stare snapping back to Caelan. His eyes became a pigmentless red as he roared. The meadow pulled towards him as he readied a great magic. Rachel pushed her glasses down and saw the crackling black strands pull towards his hands and shoved Caelan aside, getting a clear shot at the vampire.

"No!" she yelled, power and courage pouring off her tongue. "_Nindhil ors kouradiy_!" What was left of the black strands faded in what sounded like a sizzling scream. Vadim hissed with anger and Caelan struck at him with great force, digging at his chest, snagging his claws on an artery. Acid poured from the demon's chest and Caelan felt his hand and arm begin to burn with the smell of seared flesh. Vadim threw him aside and pulled the air towards Rachel. She felt the air heave her in the vampire's direction and she stepped backwards, resisting his urge. He snarled and began to walk toward her. Caelan grabbed his neck from behind and slammed his head against the rocky ground, the flesh of his face splitting with contact. Vadim kicked him hard in the chest and stood with blurring speed, his wounds already healing.

"You should know better than to think you might best your elders, Caelan," Vadim spat. With a terrifying roar, the vampire slammed his palm against the hunter's chest. Rachel could hear bones cracking under the pressure and shot a thin spear of magic at Vadim head. It hit him squarely in the temple and his neck snapped sideways with the force of the throw. He looked at her with a fervent glare as he raised his claw to fall down upon the Carpathian male trying in vain to regain his strength.

"You died long ago, Uncle," the hunter spat as he stood straight, catching the vampire's attention. Caelan grabbed Vadim's throat and began to tighten his claws around it, piercing veins and arteries, pulling at the vampire's trachea. The vampire seemed to barely notice as he tilted his head and met Caelan's gaze. With a vicious swing of his claws, Vadim crashed his grip into the side of Caelan's face, ripping skin, flesh and bone. Caelan spat up blood as it poured into his mouth from the wound gaping on his cheek. Strength seeped away from the hunter as broken ribs tore muscles and organs. The hole in his cheek and temple oozed red and he stood with a dizzying blink, but lunged at the vampire, feeling his presence and movement with a calm mind and body. .

Rachel watched the bloody battle for what seemed like hours, but was really mere moments. She grasped hold of her fear and calmed herself. With a caress, she encouraged Caelan to be courageous and to not give up.

_Help these people, my child. Find them and share your gifts_. Rachel's mother's voice rang through her head as distant memories surfaced and she bit her lip. With a strength of will rivaling that of the oldest Carpathians, she pulled magic from the soil. As it burst from the ground, Vadim snapped his head in her direction and she could feel the heat and need to kill soaking his soul.

"Stay away from my lifemate," she said with a deep, steady voice. Vadim's bright, red eyes looked at her with curiosity. He grinned at her.

"What will you do, little one? You're barely strong enough to resist," he derided, his lips curling away from his bloodied teeth. Caelan looked at her with a pleading gaze. He willed her to run, to save herself from the turned Ancient. He could feel her kiss his mind lovingly and turn away, steadfast in what she had to do.

"_Moran haiyo ukoraniy. LarRodh oteyan o ito akrrahan_," Rachel said quietly. The earth began to rumble as Ancient, forgotten magic continued to rise from its depths. Shimmering strands of pure enchantment bent themselves to her will as she began weaving them together into a tightly woven pattern. Vadim looked around the meadow, which began to glisten, the air damp and heavy. Caelan felt the vampire tense, ready to spring at his lifemate. With the rest of his strength, he pulled the Ancient vampire to the ground and rounded on him. They both scrambled to their feet and Vadim roared with anger.

"You are becoming a nuisance, Caelan," he jeered. They rounded each other while Rachel worked no more than twenty feet from them. Caelan kept himself between Rachel and the vampire, attempting to protect her as best he could. His wounds were deep and he had felt a rib threaten to pierce his heart as he had scrambled to his feet. Vadim scoffed, his wounds deep but his heart in no danger. He licked his hand, smearing his tongue with sweat and blood and dirt before pressing it to his neck. The claw marks on one side of his neck closed, healing much quicker than before.

_Hold him off. We'll be there in moments, brother_. Dominic sounded through Caelan's head, strong and confident. Caelan sent no reply but continued to watch the Ancient with a deadly gaze. Rachel frantically mumbled and began pulling and tying strands of magic together, watching the two face off distractedly.

With the speed of a viper, Vadim rushed Caelan. The hunter braced himself against impact and raised his claw against the other's body, digging them deep within his chest. He felt the vampire's breath as he scoffed and reached within his own wound. His hand emerged, bloody and blurred with speed as it pushed its claws through Caelan's collarbone, burning the hunter's flesh and muscle with the poisoned acid that poured from the vampire's wounds. He dug deep into the hunter's body, searching for the beating heart. Caelan's body tightened in pain as the poison of Vadim's blood, more powerful and concentrated than younger vampires, began to take its toll on Caelan's heart and lungs. The hunter reached frantically for the vampire's heart, but Vadim simply pushed him down. Though broken and tattered, the vampire enjoyed his victory as Caelan closed his eyes and hit the ground hard, unconscious and unable to defend his lifemate a moment longer.

Rachel's eyes were wide and brimmed with tears. She continued to pull at threads, shaking and frightened. Caelan's mind was still there, but his heart was fading. She could feel him whisper soothingly to her, telling her he was alright and that she should run and call for help, but her magic was not yet completely woven and she could not walk away from a spell of the size she was creating. Blinking back tears, she forced her trembling fingers to continue their work, pulling and tugging and tweaking her Weave.

Vadim stepped over Caelan's crumpled form with a triumphant smile plaguing his face. His eyes and wounds were the only things that betrayed his disguise as an enchanting man. He stared at Rachel with the hunger and need of a monster, blood dripping from his neck.

"I will enjoy this very much, little one," he said quietly. Rachel stood her ground, not backing away this time. The vampire closed in on her with purposeful strides. In an attempt to distract him, she sent another small spear of magical core flying at his chest, but the vampire simply took the force and laughed. Mere feet from his reach now, Rachel gasped and fumbled with her Weave which was nearly as large as she was tall now. She had less than half a foot of the pattern's edge to seal when Vadim reached her. He circled a hand around her waist with a surprisingly gentle touch and grabbed her neck, inspecting her frantic heartbeat with a lustful growl. An almost loving gaze swept across her defiant glare as he lapped up the bump of her pulse against her skin and smiled at her.

"I told you. You're _mine_," he said, the hint of a hiss beneath his voice. Anger arose in Rachel amidst the silence of the meadow and she slapped him hard in the face.

"I will _never _be yours," she said, opposing him with a strong glare. Vadim's lips curled back in a snarl and he struck her forcefully across the cheek with the back of his hand. Rachel felt her glasses fly from her face as she fell to the ground, her mother's tender wounds sore and aching as rocks and pebbles dug into her skin. A hand picked her up by her arm and she felt his lips crush themselves against her neck, ready to sink into her flesh. She shivered with terror and reached frantically for the gently swaying strand of magic dangling from the edge of her Weave. She caught it between two fingers as her shirt and bra were ripped away from her, exposing her chest to the cool night air of the mountains. Vadim's voice was raspy as he breathed in her scent again, enjoying her terror and the fleeting emotions he felt as the kill was within his grasp. His hands violated her body, ripping at her jeans while she reached for the pattern, pulling it closer. A tear fell from her lashes and she quickly, with one hand tied off the end of the pattern.

She watched the strands begin to pulse in the dark as she felt Vadim's hands, smeared with her lifemate's blood begin to tug at her jeans, scraping her hips with his claws to draw bits of blood. His mouth closed over the small wound he created and he ran his hands over her inner thigh and breast. He looked up at her as he felt the pulse of energy in the air, the colors of the night rippling outwards from Rachel's fingertips. She smiled victoriously and he watched her hand quickly pull on the air. He felt himself be pulled towards her hands, like a black hole. Another pulse, stronger than the ones before pushed back against him and he forgot her, standing to make a barrier between him and her magic with a soft, ancient curse. Within moments of raising his hand to draw a safeguard in the air, Vadim was blown back by a concentrated blast of energy. The flesh and bone of his right arm was cleaved from his body in the angry gust of magic. Tendons and blood vessels pulled free of his torso and he shrieked in agony. Part of his face melted away in the wind as the extreme heat of the flare seared his skin, leaving the smell of burnt hair and flesh drifting on the air. What was left of the bone in his arm hung limply from his side and the vampire staggered to stay standing as the wind settled to a breeze, a whisper of magic. He took a step towards her but stopped as the howl of a wolf floated by on a breeze. Vadim sniffed the air, the strong stench of Carpathian was on the wind. He straightened himself and allowed the wind to carry him away as a mist to the safety of the forests.

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A/N: Fun stuff. Have a good St. Patty's!

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	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry this has been so long in the uploading! I know not many people have read this particular story, but it's still a good read and I plan to finish it. Just in case someone reads it to the end!

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Chapter Six

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Rachel felt the ground frantically for her glasses, but to no avail and cursed. She wasn't sure if Vadim had been injured badly enough to leave them alone, but the weight of the air slackened significantly and the sounds of his snarls faded. She searched for Caelan and found him on his side in a pool of blood. She could hear his heart beating steadily as he held onto life, but couldn't reach him with her mind.

A wolf howled in the distance and was greeted by another not far from the meadow. Rachel's head snapped up as she heard the cracking of a twig in the forests just beyond the clearing. The subtle sound of a cape snapped in the air and Rachel turned her head to see the shredded edges of her pattern move as a form brushed passed them unaware. Rachel shielded Caelan's body with hers and grabbed a stray thread of magic. She rubbed it into her palm and clapped her hands, sending a wave of sound through the area, illuminating it briefly for her to view.

Two men stood no more than ten feet from them, tall and still. Power radiated from their forms and Rachel's fingers began working steadily, preparing to fight for their lives. She thought about how to heal Caelan, remembering that the soil was important to Carpathians, but when her free hand tested the earth, she found it was too rocky to do her lover any good. She tilted her head, listening for if the men moved while she worked, completely determined to save and protect Caelan.

Gregori approached the woman on the ground before him. She shielded Caelan's body with great care, sure not to touch his wounds or apply pressure to his chest, which was in desperate need of attention. Gregori took up Caelan's heart and lungs in an attempt to keep him alive and regulate his blood loss. Red and gold locks spilled over the woman's face as her eyes searched the area without seeing. She slammed her hands, bloody and torn, against each other in a soft, desperate clap and Gregori and Dominic looked at one another. A powerful wake of magic rumbled through the air. When they looked back at the woman, she stared at their forms, her fingers wringing together frantically. Silence rang loudly in the meadow as the two men discussed mentally what their course of action should be.

"My lady, Caelan is hurt. Please allow us to take him," Dominic said, compulsion dripping from his lips like honey. Her unblinking eyes looked up at where his voice had come from and she set her jaw.

"I'm afraid enchantments won't work on me," she spat. A large and complicated safeguard engulfed the two injured as she began immediately pulling at the air again, her fingers working tirelessly. Gregori and Dominic exchanged a look of dread. It was apparent that forcing her to do something was not the smartest plan of action. They inspected the safeguard intently while they spoke.

"We aren't here to harm you, but to aid you. Caelan's wounds are fatal unless you allow us to heal him," Gregori said. "We cannot do this if you shut us out."

"Enough!" she yelled. Her gaze strayed to the ground and she reached for something they couldn't see. She pulled it into her hands and continued fiddling.

Rachel could feel the power and dangerous strength trickle from their voices and auras. Her body and mind were shaken badly and she could feel herself slipping from consciousness. She shook her head as she continued to weave, unsure of what she should do. No matter what she decided, these men were trying to help and hadn't attacked yet. She would have to do something drastic if she decided not to accept their help, and in either case they weren't likely to survive alone.

"How can I trust you?" she said quietly. Her hand ran over Caelan's face and chest, feeling the damage. She could feel him barely holding on to life. Her bare chest and torn clothing hung helplessly from her body as a tear fell to her lifemate's cheek. Dominic could feel Caelan struggling to return to his woman, pulling at life.

"Caelan is my older brother. You can keep hold of me while the Dark One heals him," Dominic said, stepping forward. Rachel looked up at his voice and stood shakily. The hunter's brother took another step closer to his lifemate and took in the sight of her bare, sculpted body. The power brimming over her features was alluring for any lone Carpathian male. She reached out to his hand and snatched at it like a scared animal. He stood calmly while she pulled him into the safeguard and slipped magic over his wrist. He felt her presence immediately searching deep into his thoughts. Despite the barriers, his mind didn't recognize her as a separate entity and his lips parted in surprise. She stared straight into his eyes without seeing him, but seeing his soul, his thoughts. He submitted himself to her search calmly and Gregori knelt next to Caelan as soon as her safeguard collapsed.

Rachel's hand held onto Dominic's wrist with as much strength as she could muster, but the Dragonseeker felt that if he so much as touched her, she'd shatter. He soothed her with his mind, feeling how deep her love for Caelan and their people, despite how little she knew, ran within her soul. He could feel her pain and fear as a powerful, breathtaking force and attempted to find what scared her so much. Vadim's face loomed in her mind, the memory of his touch on her skin like worms as he whispered to her and tasted her skin. Dominic blinked and looked away from the woman's gaze.

"I'm sorry to ask, but might I borrow your cape? I'm feeling a little um, bare," she said nonchalantly. Dominic could understand why Caelan felt such pride in his woman. She betrayed no fear or weakness in her voice, despite the fact that she knew Dominic had seen it stirring in her mind.

"Of course." Dominic willed his cape from him and let it float down upon Rachel's shoulders, pulling itself around her chest and neck. She blushed a bit and let go of his arm. He felt the invasion of her mind slip away suddenly as their contact was broken and she pulled her magic from around his wrist. Rachel rubbed her arms, drawing Dominic's attention to them. He touched her hand and purred, his incisors lengthening.

"Let me heal your wounds," he said gently. His eyes glinted with smothered need. Rachel nodded hesitantly and held out her arms. Dominic lowered his mouth to her arms and secretly tasted how sweet her blood was. His body clenched with hunger as he finished closing the last of the cuts on her arms and wrists. He raised his head with reluctance and stared into her orbs shamelessly, entranced by her innocent trust in him.

_Rachel?_ Caelan's voice rang in her head urgently, almost afraid. She could feel his mind open to hers completely again save the physical pain he felt. He kept that far from her reach to shield her from it. He felt her caress his mind warmly, her voice filled with tears.

_Caelan! Oh, thank goodness. I'm sorry I couldn't help sooner_, Rachel's voice trailed off apologetically. She could feel him shake his head.

_Don't apologize. I underestimated Vadim's power. He's grown far greater since our last encounter_.

_As long as you're well now._

_Not now, but soon. I failed to protect you, and that is something I'll never forgive myself for. I'm so thankful for your courage. It saved us both. I'll hold you soon, diamond eyes._

Rachel smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek. Dominic watched her quietly until Gregori's intake of breath warned him that the healer had completed what he needed to accomplish in order to move the hunter.

"We must go quickly. Evil still lurks here," Gregori's deep voice rumbled. Rachel attempted to stand, but her legs gave out beneath her and she fell sharply to the ground. Dominic knelt to help her to her feet.

"I need my glasses," she said quickly, before Dominic could help her to stand. He called them into his hand and gave them back to her. Rachel felt the lenses and found that one of them had broken. Cursing, she threw them back to the ground. "They're useless. I'm sorry, but I'll slow you down greatly," she apologized, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment. Dominic's stony expression didn't change with the news.

"I will carry you," he said calmly. Rachel chewed her lip, thinking about the option. Gregori lifted Caelan with ease and they heard his pack howl with relief. Rachel nodded and held her hands out blindly in front of her, reaching for Dominic. The two men exchanged a look as they could feel Caelan growl. Despite his unconsciousness, he was a great power even if he decided to smother his strength in front of his lifemate. It was no doubt to either of them that Caelan knew every movement and sound they made.

_Rachel, be careful. Though he's my brother, the need for women in our race is of the greatest importance. You haven't been completely bound to me yet and my brother has no lifemate_, Caelan said faintly. Rachel stroked his cozy presence within her lovingly and nodded to him. Her arms still outreached towards Dominic, she found the wall of his chest and let him slowly pick her up into his arms. He pulled her against his body and she held onto his shirt like a frightened child, glad to have something strong watching after them. Her fragility was hard to recognize after her display of bravery and Dominic felt a pain of jealousy for his brother that he pushed aside hastily. This woman was Caelan's lifemate, not his own. Dominic understood that patience was of great importance at his age and that if he felt hope slip away, he would be lost. He forced himself to believe his light would come sooner rather than later.

"I'm sorry I almost attacked you," Rachel whispered to the men. They both looked at her as they began to run with a flowing, steady pace toward the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. Her eyes fell to the emptiness of her sight just above Dominic's stomach. He held himself back from delving into her words and surged on with Gregori at his side. Both were silent as they pushed through the woods and could feel dawn approaching, spurring their urgency.

"We'll barely make it back to Mikhail's," Dominic said nearly twenty minutes later. Neither man had faltered a step. Rachel could hear Dominic's heart, steady and strong, he lungs working as if he was asleep. Gregori looked up at the skies and thunderheads rolled into the horizon quickly, sheltering the group from the onslaught of the sun which would rise within the hour.

Rachel could feel exhaustion pull at her eyelids and her head lolled, wishing for sleep to push away the pain her body and mind had suffered. Dominic glanced down at her drooping lids, surprised to see them nearly closed. In the hours they had traveled, she'd not once blinked.

"You should sleep," Dominic said quietly to her. He could feel his incisors lengthen, wishing so badly to taste her. He bit his own lip and pushed his fangs away, swallowing the little pinpricks of blood bitterly.

"I don't want to sleep when we're still in danger."

"There will be no danger. Vampires cannot stand any sunlight whereas we can bear the morning rays. We'll protect you," he whispered to her, his voice deep and sensual. Rachel's head settled against Dominic's chest as he compelled her to sleep, her breath hot against his shirt and neck. He shivered, but his face remained calm and steely. Gregori sent him a sharp look and pushed their pace. Dominic's grip on the woman tightened, warming her aching body as rain began to fall to the mossy ground.

"To the healing caves. Mikhail and the other healers are awaiting our arrival," Gregori said. He turned sharply and they clawed their way up the side of the mountain towards the summit. As the sun broke the horizon, they ducked into the caves, tired and relieved that a deep rest awaited them in the healing earth.

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A/N: I haven't read over this story in a while, so if there are editing mistakes, review and let me know! I'll correct them as soon as I get your message.

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